


Use All of Me

by thranduils1



Series: Use All of Me [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abuse, Breeding, Captivity, Daddy Kink, Dom Steve Rogers, Dubious Morality, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Mob Boss Steve Rogers, Physical Abuse, Pregnancy Kink, Sexual Abuse, Shameless Smut, Smut, Verbal Abuse
Language: Español
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:47:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 41,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29102778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thranduils1/pseuds/thranduils1
Summary: The Avengers are heroes saving the world but in this AU, they are also permitted by the powers in charge to have less than favorable business underneath their guise of mere superheroes. Steve and Tony are at the helm, keeping their empire’s wealth in check, both devious and perilous if crossed. Steve takes a liking to the reader at a party and it may be her undoing to her autonomy choosing to go home with him.
Relationships: Steve Rogers x OFC, Steve Rogers x Reader, Steve Rogers x you, Steve Rogers/Reader, Steve Rogers/You
Series: Use All of Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2135346
Comments: 55
Kudos: 191





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted 1/30/21

You hiked the sides of your swimsuit up higher, further accentuating your ass. A man had been watching you for the better part of the evening at the party you and a couple of your friends were attending. It was an upscale pool party, one with a list you had managed to get yourselves on at the last club event last weekend you had attended. You had made friends with the right girl, she had found you three entertaining and wanted you to be at this party. She had stopped by earlier in the evening, exchanging some laughs and pointing out where the bar was and also who to go to if you wanted to have some extra fun for a little extra cash. You had declined on that offer – you were not familiar with this place and it being your first time, you did not want to risk rolling and potentially making a fool out of yourself.

Your drink was placed on the bar and you tipped your glass towards the bartender. Walking back from the bar, you made sure to not cast a glance in his direction. You found playing hard to get was far more advantageous than acting desperate in circumstances like this.

You sat back down on the edge of the pool, your back to the man, where your friends were sitting with their legs dangling in the water.

“Who are you showing the goods off for?” Yua asked you, curious.

Shrugging nonchalantly, you said, “There’s a guy.”

She giggled, giving you a nudge, “Who? I promise I won’t be obvious.”

You took a drink, letting her simmer in anticipation for a few moments. “Hmm. He’s a dirty blonde, a suave, combed back style. Looks really muscular underneath that dress shirt. I wouldn’t doubt if he owns some Ray Ban aviators. It would really complete the look.”

True to her word, Yua was being discreet, eyes gazing over the crowd casually.

“There are a few…” she said slowly and then trailed off. Her head snapped towards you and she said, “Do you mean the one who can’t stop looking over at you?”

“I’m sure that’s him,” you smirked. “If he’s in a booth with a few other people.”

It was Natalie’s turn to look around. She let out a low whistle, bringing her glass to her lips.

“You don’t approve?” you asked.

She scoffed, “You do know who that is, correct?”

“Steve Rogers,” you told her as a matter of fact, which caught her off guard. Of course you knew who he was. Who did not know the Avengers? They protected the world but considering the work they did, they were given a lot of leeway about their other lucrative ventures. Money and protection were a part of their sphere, and it ran dark side, with a nasty underbelly. How deep it went was a big question for anyone not in the underground.

You shot a look over your shoulder, meeting his piercing stare. He smirked at you, and you blushed. Partially in embarrassment but also arousal. Well, this was going to make tonight interesting you hoped. Facing your friends again, you chirped, “Maybe he’ll buy me drinks. He certainly has enough money to drop some dollars.”

“Yeah, I am not sure that is such a great idea, Y/N,” Natalie said warily.

“Oh, if he’s on my same page, I’m just looking for a fun night. What the hell could happen?”

“A lot,” Natalie said sourly. Yua and you snickered. She said, “I’m serious. You don’t know what he’s involved in. Not truly.”

Yua told her, “I’m sure whatever business he has can hold off for one night if he wants to give Y/N some vitamin D.”

“You’re so childish,” Natalie muttered, the two of you chortling at Yua’s joke, much to her annoyance.

A shadow fell over the group of you from behind, causing the trio of you to turn around, craning your necks. A burly man was standing there, not one that you recognized.

“Mr. Rogers is requesting your audience,” he said to you in greeting.

You shot Natalie a self-satisfied smile. She returned a frown, disapproving. You knew her worries were valid, who really did know what kind of trouble you could get caught up in. But really, what could one night do? Still, going to a table with a bunch of mobsters did set you the slightest bit on edge.

“Audience…?” you trailed off, trying to be coy.

Natalie sighed, “Oh, Y/N, you know what he means.”

You smirked at Natalie before telling the man, “My friends are smarter than to let me go off with a strange man alone. Do you think it is possible they could join me? Just so I feel more comfortable?”

The man looked at loss for words for a few moments before clearing his throat, “Mr. Rogers specifically requested you, miss. He did not mention anyone else coming to his table.”

What a way to tell you no.

You exchanged a look again with Natalie and Yua. To the man, you said honestly, “Well, I will have to decline. I do not feel comfortable going alone. Tell him thank you for the invitation all the same.”

“O-oh,” the man stammered, struck uncomfortable by your refusal to go with him. He nodded jerkily, his hands clenching by his sides. “I… that is unfortunate. Well, I will… relay this to him. Good night then. And good night to you as well.” He nodded in the direction of Natalie and Yua as well in departure.

As soon as he was out of ear shot, Yua let out a small laugh. “He looked like you just signed his death wish, Y/N.”

“She very may well have,” Natalie told Yua gravely, which only made Yua snicker more. “I’m serious. Y/N just told an Avenger no.”

Scoffing, you asked, “What would you have had me do then? Go with him? I don’t think so. I was honest! I don’t feel safe going without the pair of you. Hanging out with him would be a thrill, sure. But it’s not smart without you guys. And I wasn’t rude about it.”

“I know,” Natalie sighed, picking up her drink again. “That was being stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

“Who knows? Maybe he’ll try harder now. Maybe he’ll even come over to you instead of ‘requesting your audience’!” Yua chimed in and snorted. “What a pompous thing to say.”

Natalie shook her head at Yua’s continued berating of the situation. “You two are too naïve for your own good.”

<> <> <>

Bryce returned to the table alone, much to Steve’s displeasure.

Steve narrowed his eyes, “Something wrong?”

“She said she was uncomfortable coming over without her friends because she doesn’t know you.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Steve said dryly, “And?”

“I’m not following, sir.”

“And why didn’t she just bring her friends with her?”

Bryce looked noticeably anxious at this turn of conversation. He stumbled, “Well… sir, I told her that you had not mentioned anyone else coming to the table. So… she then declined the offer.”

There was silence at the table. On Steve’s left, Tony’s lips ticked on a side as he tried to hide a full smirk by bringing his whiskey to his lips.

Licking his lips, Steve posed, “Bryce… did I say no one else could come to the table? Specifically?”

Natasha shot Bryce a coy look as she lit a cigarette. She was enjoying the exchange; she was not fond of him and never had been. She was curious why Tony and Steve even kept him around besides for his muscle. He was loyal; that was true enough. But he sure as fuck was dim.

“N-no, sir.”

Leaning forward over the table, Steve leveled him with a glare. “Get your ass back over there and invite her friends then.”

“Yes, sir. Of course,” Bryce said, before scattering.

<> <> <>

Steve’s breath was hot against your skin as he cradled you from behind. You had gotten preoccupied with looking at yourself in the full-length mirror outside his bathroom, fixing your hair, adjusting your breasts in your swim top. He had come up behind you, locking eyes with you through the mirror. His shirt was gone, and his bare skin caressed against yours as his fingers trailed down between your breasts, down your stomach to the waist band of your swim bottoms.

“You look perfect,” he whispered in your ear, nuzzling.

You had accepted his invination the second time his man had come around. Yua had been more than receptive to the prospect, Natalie following closely behind. She had gotten drawn in by Natasha, much to your amusement. Steve had been doting all evening, charming you with light conversation and compliments. Drink after drink until he asked you to come to one of the bedrooms, which is where you learned this was Bruce Banner’s house. Natalie had been too enthralled with Natasha’s beautiful eyes to notice Steve lead you away.

Turning around in his embrace, you faced him, arms draping around his neck. Steve’s hands trailed down the seams of your swimsuit before his fingers crept underneath, cupping your ass.

“I knew you were a good girl all the way across the pool,” Steve growled, rumbling low deep in his chest. Your hips moved with the way his hands floated across your sides.

Taking the reins – even for a minute – you pulled away, your hand trailing down his chest before falling away. You turned, walking towards the king bed, a saunter in your hips. Steve followed you like a well-trained dog, climbing on top of you as you laid back against the plush pillows. He rutted into you, his lips leaving bruising kisses against your jawline.

He gripped the hem of your swimsuit, yanking them down, and you finished the job by kicking them off. Traveling further, he brushed his fingers against your wet folds, his thumb brushing your clit. You keened, bucking towards him, desperate for more.

“For a minute there, I thought you were just trying to tease me for a thrill…” he said, trailing off. His fingers pressed in, stroking slowly and you whimpered. “But it looks like you were really looking for a good fuck.” He bit at your mouth and you dragged your teeth across his lips. He moaned in response. “You are a catch, aren’t you, doll face?”

You simpered at his old timey nickname, but you felt a rush at his attention.

Steve sat up, undoing the belt of his slacks and pulling out roughly, tossing it aside. His pants and briefs followed, kicking himself out of them. He pinned you to the bed, his weight pressing down on you. He trailed his lips down your chest, nuzzling his nose into your suit, finding your nipple and giving it a soft suck. You moaned lightly as his tongue swirled around, working you up. His fingers were back at your clit, stroking you in tandem with his eager mouth against your breast.

He only let you ride that rhythm for a short while before he straightened up, his hard cock brushing against your thighs. “Get on your stomach. Arch your back.”

You quickly obeyed, displaying yourself to him. He hummed in approval, running his thumb up your folds, causing you to shiver, before you felt him at your entrance. His cock slid in easily as his fingers wrapped up in your hair, yanking your head back to meet his eagerly waiting lips.

“Oh, I am going to use you all night,” he declared, his lips moving over yours.

You were surely going to be sore tomorrow.

Spent, you laid next to him, your arm draped over his chest in the tangled sheets. Both of your bodies were still covered in a sheen of sweat, but you were relaxed. There was a good ache between your thighs, one that you were going to remember for a long while. He sure was good in bed.

His fingers hooked up underneath your chin, tipping your head up to look at him. You smiled sensually in response, much to his arousal.

“Mhm,” he exhaled deeply, his fingers caressing your jawline affectionately. “You are going to give me a run for my money, aren’t you?”

He was talking like he was thinking this was going to turn into something more than a one-night stand. You played it cool.

“I wouldn’t say money per say, but… I’m sure to give you a run. An exciting one.”

“I look forward to it.”

Something about the glint in his eyes turned your stomach but you were far too comfortable wrapped up in his arms, the thrill of having him wrapped around your finger for the time being overriding any sense of caution.


	2. Chapter 2

You woke up a few hours later to Steve still sleeping soundly. You were feeling closer to sober than not, which was good news considering you would most likely not have a hangover. Carefully, you crawled out of bed to not disturb him. Slipping your underwear and bra on, you kept quiet. Checking your phone, it was four in the morning. There were a couple missed texts from people. The one that mattered was sending one to Natalie to let her know you were okay; she had texted almost two hours ago and was probably sleeping now – albeit anxiously – and still you sent a quick text. It would put her at ease when she woke up. Everyone else would be asleep and could wait, you merely just read the handful of them.

Clicking on your Uber app, you guessed that the prices be higher than normal considering the time of day, but you needed to get home. It was going to take them fourteen minutes to get there. You would have to move quickly to get dressed and get back outside.

Your finger was hovering over confirm when Steve sounded from behind you, “What are you doing?”

Craning your head over your shoulder, you saw he was still lying in bed, blanket still over him. It seemed he had been watching you with your back turned; for how long, you were unsure.

“Sorry, I tried to not wake you,” you apologized. You held up your phone weakly and said, “Just ordering an Uber.”

“I wasn’t sleeping all that much anyway. Don’t need much,” he told you and you rose your eyebrows. “Perks of being me. If you want, I can drive you home.”

“Oh. I mean, that’s not necessary. I can just order this Uber.”

“I’m not drunk if that’s what you’re worrying about,” Steve assured you and added with a small smirk, “A downside of being me. I can’t.”

“Wow,” was the first thing that came to mind.

“Yeah, wow.”

“That… kind of sucks.”

Steve chuckled, “Yeah, sometimes it does.” He threw the blankets back, nude as the day as he was born still. “But it does erase possibilities of me doing foolish things drunk and regretting them in the morning. Or being caught off guard.” He tossed a glance your way at that last statement.

“Good thing you can see the silver lining,” you said, closing the Uber app. You watched him for a few moments dressing himself, eyes tracing the movement of his muscles before reaching down to pick up your dress.

You were pondering what other things were different about him than the average person. You had thought him being a superhero was all about his strength, but it seemed there were far more things beneath the surface.

Steve reached for something in the bedside table, pulling out a handgun. He caught your watchful gaze, “What’s wrong? Guns make you uncomfortable?”

You had not seen him slip that into the drawer when you had come up to the room. Granted, you had gone to the bathroom. Was it all that odd that someone like him had a concealed weapon? You were sure Natasha Romanoff had been armed to the teeth.

Calmly, you joked, “No. But are we in danger?”

“Not when you’re with me, doll face,” Steve said, holstering it into the waistband of his dark jeans. “I’ll always keep you protected.”

Cocking an eyebrow, you teased, “’Always’? It’s just a car ride home.”

Steve merely hummed in acknowledgment as he threw his black jacket over his shoulders, slipping his arms in. He gestured to the door, “After you.”

<> <> <>

_How is your day going?_

_Fine, just doing laundry with Natalie. One of my friends from the party. You?_

“He’s texting me again.”

You were sitting on top of one of the washing machines in your laundry room as you and Natalie did your laundry a few days after Steve had brought you home. He had commented that the building looked secure and you found the comment odd. But he seemed pleased with that fact, for your safety, so you assured him it was. There were a couple of tables in the laundry room, so instead of traveling back up the stairs, the two of you brought work or something else to keep yourselves occupied.

“I told you it was a bad idea,” Natalie intoned, looking up from where she was scribbling ideas away for her next presentation at work. “And stringing him along is an even worse one.”

“It’s not serious. He’s probably just bored. We just had a one-night stand. And if I recall, you were quite enthralled with another ‘dangerous’ person as well. So, are you really in a position to be chastising me?”

“I didn’t go home with her. I just had conversation.”

“She didn’t ask?”

“She insinuated. I may have said that I was seeing someone.”

A laugh escaped, amused. “So, you _lied_ to her?”

“For good reason.” She then added, “You could have done the same, you know. You would have obliged his request for your company and still been able to escape it.”

“I didn’t want to escape ‘it’. He was good in bed.”

“I know,” Natalie returned, rolling her eyes. “That’s what frightens me about you, Y/N. You like danger too much.”

“He also added me on snapchat. Thinking about sending him some nudes.”

“Why? So he can revenge porn you?”

“You’re so damn cynical, Natalie.”

Your phone lit up, interrupting the conversation.

_Working. On a small break. It is going to be a long week._

You meant to respond but you saw he was texting again, so you waited.

_It would be nice to see you again after it. How about you come out with just me?_

_It sounds like you are asking me out on a date. Or am I being too bold in assuming that?_

“What are you smirking at?”

“He wants to go on a date.”

“Christ almighty. Seems like he’s wanting more than a one-night stand if he’s still texting you asking you out on dates.”

You shrugged, reading the new message from him.

_Not bold. That is exactly what I was doing. What do you like to eat?_

_Can’t beat a steaming bowl of banh canh tom cua._

You smirked, guessing he was going to have to google that unless he was a fan of the cuisine. It gave you a couple minutes to put your phone down to talk to Natalie.

Shrugging you said, “What’s the harm in going on a couple dates? He seems nice enough.”

“He’s a mob boss, Y/N.”

Waving her off, you said, “Those are just rumors.”

“I don’t think so. You know there’s some deep-seated corruption and you can’t have me believing that just because they save people, it’s strictly out of the goodness of their hearts. Seems they only care when it’s about aliens, not regular day problems. Or protecting their assets. You think all of Stark Industries is above water? His technology is all over the place I would bet especially since they work with the government.”

“Well, aliens are a catastrophe, which you would think would require someone like, I don’t know, superheroes? And if you think Stark Industries is so invasive, you probably shouldn’t talk about him in that tone. He might hear you.”

Natalie threw a pencil at you and you laughed. “Stop teasing me!”

“You’re making it really easy. Did I mention you were cynical yet?” you retorted as you noticed your phone light up again.

_Looks like there’s a few places in Brooklyn. I could pick you up. Saturday, 7pm?_

_That sounds good._

“Looks like I’ve got a date with a hot guy and some really good soup on Saturday night. And I won’t have to pay for it!,” you chirped. Natalie just told you that you were hopeless.

<> <> <>

“You just fucking go around doing whatever the fuck you want! You would be nothing without…” a man, bound to a chair, to spit out but trailed off, knowing he was digging himself a hole with the man in front of him.

He had been caught trying to steal a shipment of drugs between one of Tony’s and Steve’s distributors, along with a handful of other men. The others had been disposed of, leaving him. The lucky one Steve – someone they had not expected to be there tonight, along with Natasha, and it had been happenchance he had stopped by. A tragic turn of events for the attempted robbery – had chosen to beat information out of. So far, he had not been helpful and Steve’s patience was wearing thin.

Steve flipped the chair across from the man around, sitting down in it, resting his arms on the back of the chair. His smile was cold, a few moments of tense silence building between them. The man was bleeding from his nose, abrasions on his cheeks from the beating. His blood was coating Steve’s gloves.

“No, no. Finish what you were going to say. You were so jazzed. Let’s see where that gets us,” Steve encouraged, a cruel glint in his eyes. “In fact, it’s the most talking you’ve done all damn night.”

The man was quiet again, spitting out some blood on the ground next to him.

Steve gestured impatiently for the man to continue.

“One day you’re going to get what you deserve, _Captain America_. You’re a fucking farce. You’re just as every bit dirty as the cops on Stark’s payroll.” He laughed darkly. “In fact, you might be the dirtiest of all. You act so damn pious out in the open, but down here? You keep those drugs moving and the money flowing to all the corrupt politicians. I at least own what I am. You’re going to get caught and I can’t wait to read that headline!”

Steve was staring at the man, that icy smile still plastered on his face. Suddenly, his gun was unholstered and he fixed the barrel of the gun underneath the man’s chin, clicking the safety off. Steve stared deep into the man’s fearful eyes, and said eerily calm, “See, now that was the wrong thing to say. And I am happy to you inform you that you won’t ever get the chance to read a headline like that.”

The man’s head painted the wall behind him, the gunshot rattling through the room.

“Prick,” Steve muttered to himself, placing the safety back on his gun.

Natasha pushed herself away from the corner she had been resting in, sighing. “Didn’t give us any information about who he was working for.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Steve muttered, Natasha shooting him a look. “He wasn’t going to tell us. They could have been working alone – which is doubtful since they knew exactly where to come. Or it could have been Adrian sending in some bums to do his dirty work. Who knows? What matters is this place was compromised. And whoever the hell let them get past the security lines…”

“Rhodes is dealing with it.”

“Good. I’m sick of this shit.”

“You seem more on edge tonight, Cap.”

Steve sighed heavily, checking his watch. It was almost eight o’clock at this point. “I had a date. This was supposed to be a quick stop, not turn into a shit show. I can’t even text her down here to let her know.”

“With who?”

“The woman,” he said tightly. She was right, he was in a bad mood. “From the party a couple weeks ago.”

Natasha nodded, “She was pretty.”

“Beautiful,” Steve corrected stiffly, and Natasha smirked in response at his defensiveness. “And now I must grovel in apology to her for missing tonight and essentially standing her up. It was only the second date. We had a great time the first time… had Vietnamese food.”

“Second?” Natasha asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Well… third. If you want to count the first night at the party. I need a change of clothes.”

Natasha snorted, “There should be some upstairs.” She followed him out of the room, as the began ascending the stairs. She gave the men standing outside the doors orders to clean up and mentioned there would be cleaning necessary upstairs too in the locker room. “I have never known you to go on more than one, Steve. So, three. Three is something. So, is she just that good in bed?”

“I intend to have her,” Steve informed Natasha, over his shoulder.

“Haven’t you already?” Natasha joked, much to Steve’s annoyance.

He spat, “You know that’s not what I mean.”

“Chill out, Cap. I was just joking around. I’m not the one you’re mad at here; he’s dead back in the room,” Natasha pointed out as they approached the locker room. Before he could go inside, she asked, “You think it’s that serious? A wife? Babies?”

“I’m making it that serious.”

“What if she is just looking for a fling?”

“Like I said, I want her and I’m gonna have her.”

<> <> <>

Steve had stood you up. You had waited around for an hour, sent him a text when he had not shown up at six like the two of you had agreed on. He had not responded. You were disappointed but not too surprised. What had you been expecting? You had been truthful with your friends that you believed it was just going to be some fun with him; the duration of the fun had been in question. And now it appeared it was short lived. It was not the first time you had been ghosted.

You were already dressed up, so you texted a few of your friends, asking if they wanted to go out. You found yourself at a club, dancing, having fun despite the way your night had started out.

<> <> <>

Y/N’s phone went to voicemail the three times Steve tried to call her on his way over to her place. He did not like being ignored. He parked near her building and walked to it, circling it. None of the lights were on in the apartment, which struck him as odd. It was only 9:30pm.

Pulling his phone out, he opened Snapchat. Clicking on her icon, he scrolled down to where she was sharing her location.


	3. Chapter 3

Sweating, you brushed the sweat from your brow. Even though you had changed out of your original dress and swapped it for shorts and a tank, you were still hot. The club was packed considering it was a live music night, with Every Time I Die headlining in their home state. Thankfully the show had not been sold out entirely when you had shown up. You doubted it had stayed that way since the main set had started and it was after 10pm.

Keith yelled into the mic, encouraging people to come up on stage with them for the next song.

_The shape of your data got me astral projecting  
But I think you and I, we need to talk_

The room was alive, people crowding the stage as people began to find their way up there, headbanging around the artists before diving off the stage to welcome arms.

“I wanna do that!” you yelled over the music to Yua. The pair of you were further into the crowd than Natalie and your other couple friends. You were sure they were still standing by one of the tables up the stairs.

“Are you serious, Y/N?” she laughed, looking jubilant. 

“You should!” the guy, Joseph, that had attached himself to yours and Yua’s side during the show encouraged you. He was cute enough, was not handsy – a huge plus especially in a huge crowd where people had been drinking or doing drugs.

You teased, “You just want to be one of the people holding us.”

He let out a laugh and said over the music, “If you think so lowly of me, maybe I need to prove myself a little harder!”

Yes, he certainly was cute. You beamed at him. Maybe you would not end up alone tonight.

“Here! Let’s go up!” Yua said, tugging on your arm. “Just make sure you don’t get punched in the face if you get too close to the mosh pit.”

The two of you shoved your way through the crowd towards the stage.

<> <> <>

Natalie craned her neck to look over the crowd to where Yua and Y/N had been. They were no longer there and she sighed. She hoped they were not getting themselves into trouble, mainly the mosh pit. Yua and Y/N both had suffered bruises before and still went back. They insisted it was fun; she saw nothing fun about it, she rather enjoyed watching the show from afar where she could enjoy it in more relative peace.

“What’s wrong?” Ada asked her over the music.

“I can’t find Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb.”

Miriam asked what she said from across the table and Natalie repeated herself.

“They’re fine. They can handle themselves,” Miriam reassured her. “We’ve been in worse places with a far rougher crowd and they’ve managed.”

“Too true,” Natalie agreed.

Over the heads of the crowd, Natalie’s eyes came to rest on a familiar face. Her stomach dropped seeing Steve, who looked entirely displeased. He was searching the crowd and she had a great idea of who he was looking for.

“Shit,” she said out loud. She looked back over the crowd desperately. It was not going to look good if Y/N was still flirting with that other random guy. She was worried for that potential mess with someone like Steve.

“What?” Ada asked confused, following her line of sight. She of course did not recognize what Natalie did because she did not know who Steve was yet.

Leaning in closer to the pair, she explained, “Y/N’s date from tonight, yeah? The one that stood her up? He’s here.”

“What?” Miriam gasped, standing up trying to figure out who it was in the general direction Natalie had been looking.

“Found ‘em,” Ada feebly said, pointing out across the crowd towards the stage.

Natalie and Miriam looked to the stage and Natalie wanted to scream in frustration. Both Yua and Y/N were on the stage, dancing close to the edge of the stage. Y/N dove off the stage into the crowd, Natalie tracking the spot where she had fallen onto. Her stomach flipped seeing Steve was already on his way, the crowd easily parting for someone his size. She would not make it to Y/N before he did.

She just had to let that unfold, feeling a rock sinking in her stomach.

<> <> <>

A group of people helped you slide to the ground so you could land on your feet, even if you were a little unsteady. 

Joseph was there. He held up his hands and said, “No touchy. I was just here to make sure you got down okay.”

“How gentlemen like of you!” you smiled at him, tapping him on the nose.

You let out a laugh and turned back towards the stage. You could not spot Yua, you thought she would jump in the same direction as you. You stood on your tiptoes still to no avail.

Suddenly you saw her and you moved to where she was, greeting her as she came down.

“See, I told you it would be fun!” you yelled to her and she nodded in agreement. She had a wide smile planted on her face as she tried to fix her hair. You slid off an extra hair tie and handed it to her as the song ended. “Let’s go back to the table! I want another drink!”

Turning to Joseph, you grabbed his arm. “You can come with us! It’s on me!”

He looked pleased, nodding. “Alright, cool.”

His arm intertwined with yours in turn to your grasp and the two of you turned. But just like that, your smile melted away.

Steve was there blocking your way, a vexed look painted on his face. His gaze dropped down to where you and Joseph’s arms were interlinked; you could see his jaw clench at the sight.

“Steve,” you said breathlessly. “What… what are you doing here?”

Joseph seemed to catch the situation and dropped your arm, uncomfortably taking a step back. Yua came to his side instead of you. He was staring at Steve in awe, no doubt recognizing him.

“Come on,” Steve ordered you sternly, grabbing your hand and beginning to lead you through the crowd away from the stage without waiting for you to respond. You shot a look over your shoulder at Yua, seeing the worried expression on her face. Joseph leaned in to speak to her and you were sure he was asking what was going on.

He did not stop until the two of you were outside, you struggling to keep up with his stride, even with people around. They seemed to move out of his way, which did not help slow down his pace.

“Steve?” you tried as the two of you began walking down the sidewalk past the crowd outside.

He ignored you.

Away from the line, halfway down the block, he came to a sudden stop and let go of your hand roughly.

“That was foolish, Y/N.”

He was scolding you? He was the one that had stood you up.

Defensively, you told him, “It was just a bit of fun. I’m not hurt.”

“You could have been. And who was the kid?”

Kid? Joseph was most certainly in his late twenties, early thirties. Although, you were sure with how old Steve was, anyone could seem like a kid.

“Just some guy that was in the crowd,” you shrugged, trying to play it off. “He made friends with us. We were about to go have some more drinks with him. He’s cool.”

“’Cool’,” Steve drawled. You nodded, not knowing what he wanted you to say. “Looked like you were getting quite close. Like it might lead to going home.”

Cocking your head, you challenged, “You don’t get to scold me because I was hanging out with him. You’re the one who ditched me.”

Steve’s tone was laced with annoyance, “I tried to call you. Multiple times. And you didn’t answer me.”

“My phone is in my purse.”

“Well, if you would have had it on you, you would have seen that.”

Frustrated, you exasperated, “You didn’t show up!”

“I know! And I’m sorry about that. I got caught up in work.”

“And you couldn’t even send me a text?”

“There was no service.”

You scoffed and Steve’s jaw tightened. “What? That’s such a bullshit excuse. Where is there not service in NYC?”

“Underground,” Steve told you as a matter of fact.

Oh.

You opened your mouth to ask what he was doing underground but he anticipated it, “I can’t talk to you about that. You know that or you should.” You closed your mouth. He took a step closer, peering down his nose at you, a dangerous glint in his eye. “So, let me ask you again… were you planning on going home with him? If it came to that?”

There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence, you knowing he knew the answer already, but he wanted you to say it out loud.

Shrugging, you said, “Yeah, sure.” Steve gave a dry laugh and you told him firmly, “I thought you were done with me. So, excuse me.”

“Yes, excuse you. What the hell were you thinking? It was the same damn night you had a date with me, Y/N!” Steve snapped.

You recoiled a bit and he sighed loudly, putting his hands on his hips. He closed his eyes, swallowing sharply, taking a few moments. “Look, I’m sorry. I was just worried about you and I’m a little high strung.”

“Worried about me?” you asked disbelieving.

“Yeah, I drove by your place and it was dark. Seemed a little odd it being so early. And with you not answering your phone… So, I checked your location to see where you were. I did not know what this place was, so I came down here to check it out. To make sure nothing had happened to you. And if you were alright, I just wanted to tell you face to face that I was sorry for not being able to get a hold of you to let you know I was going to be late. I owe you that much for missing our date. I was looking forward to it.”

He sounded sincere and the anger melted a bit at his words. He was waiting for you to say something.

“So,” you started, licking your lip. The tension was waning on you and you wanted to move on from it, salvage what you could. A smirk tugged at the corner of your mouth. “Can I call you my boyfriend now? Since you’re so worried about me and all?”

Steve visibly relaxed, the tension leaving his jaw.

“Look, I’ll keep it in mind in the future you might be on some secret mission,” you told him, closing the space between the two of you, Your hand rested on his chest, playing with the edge of his leather jacket. “And I’ll keep my legs closed until I know for sure otherwise.”

“That’s a crude way to put it,” Steve responded.

“Fine. I’ll stay at home, waiting by the window, pining for you to return. Is that better?”

This drew a small smile out of him at least. He reached up to hold the side of your face, his thumb caressing your cheek. “I quite like the idea of you pining. It paints such a pretty picture.”

“Of course you do. It’s an ego booster.” You tossed a look over your shoulder and if you were not mistaken, Steve’s grip on your neck tightened ever so slightly. “The bouncer should let us back in.”

Steve forced you to look back at him. “Not my scene.”

“Is it classical then?”

“I do enjoy that, but it’s not just that.”

Suddenly curious, you asked, “How did you get in anyway? I thought it would have been sold out.”

“It was. I spoke to the bouncer.”

“So, he’s a Captain America fan, then?”

“Something like that.”

There was something hanging in the air with that statement, but something deep down told you to leave it alone.

“Regardless, I do need to get my purse…”

“Right,” Steve said, his hand dropping to come to hold you around your waist, turning you around to walk back down the sidewalk to the door. When you got there, the bouncer saw it was Steve and nodded him through.

Instead of letting you go in alone, Steve went with you. He stood a few paces away as you grabbed your purse, assuring your friends that you were alright. You let them know you were going home with Steve and to not wait up for you. When you got back to his side, he leaned down, giving you a kiss on your forehead. His hand gripped your wrist, leading you back outside, leaving your friends behind.

<> <> <>

Steve’s house was enormous compared to your apartment. He had insisted you go home with him, promising you breakfast in bed. How could you say no to that?

You had been enthralled with the pool room – after you insisted he show you around the place. Steve had not been deterred when you suggested skinny dipping, ushering you along out of the room to continue the tour. When he brushed behind you in the process of doing this, you already could feel him through his slacks. No wonder he had been in such a hurry.

Steve moaned beneath you, his eyes hooded with lust as he watched you towering over him as you rode him. His hands gripped your ass, helping to guide you with more force. Panting loudly, your fingers dug into his chest. Steve lifted his head up to suck and bite at your breasts, adding to your sensation. Your lips crashed into his desperately as you felt the peak quickly incoming.

You cried out against his lips, convulsing around him.

“That’s it,” Steve rasped out in praise.

He increased his speed, pushing himself over the edge. You felt him empty himself as he gasped out broken praises for you and you alone.

Tucked into his embrace, your back to him, you relaxed.

As you slipped off to sleep, you felt Steve’s arm wrap around you, his hand caressing your abdomen.


	4. Chapter 4

“It was fine,” you shrugged, taking a bite of your cracker.

“Fine? He looked furious!” Yua commented. “Scared the shit right out of Joseph. But… he still went home with me.” She looked pleased with this bit of information.

The two of you were on your lunch breaks, meeting at the deli that was relatively close to both of your offices a week and a half after the club fiasco.

“I mean, he was. At first. Didn’t like I was trying to flirt with someone the same night we had had a date.”

“He stood you up.”

“That’s what I said.”

“And he didn’t even text!”

“He tried to call. He did. I saw the missed calls. I just didn’t get them because my phone was in my purse.”

“What was his excuse?”

“Work. And he didn’t have service around the time he was supposed to pick me up.” Yua shot you a knowing look and you laughed. “I know, I know. I said the same thing! And then he told me had been underground.” She rose her brows in surprise. “Exactly. So… I mean, that checks out.” You paused before grinning, “He’s got such a nice house.”

“Oh, yeah?” She was really interested now, her spoon hovering above her lentil soup.

You nodded, “Lap pool, for one.”

“A dream for you.”

“Yep. I didn’t get to go in it though. Bummer.”

“I’m sure you were preoccupied with other extracurriculars though.”

“You’re damn right,” you laughed, swirling your own French onion soup around in the bread bowl. You took a small bite, testing it. It was cool enough now and you took a bigger bite, savoring the taste. “It’s nonstop when we see each other. It’s kind of nice to feel so wanted.”

“Or maybe he’s a sex addict and you’re just quenching his thirst.”

“Still, I wouldn’t complain. It’s a nice reprieve to see him after a long week at work.”

“Only on the weekends?” Yua asked, surprised.

You nodded, “I told him I’m busy during the week. He seemed a little agitated –”

“Sex addict,” Yua intoned and you shook your head.

“But he’s been doing what I asked. We text during the week and that helps me focus on my work. And I also check in with him like he asked.” Yua cocked an eyebrow at that last statement but you ignored it. You straightened up, beaming. “We did agree though we are officially dating. Boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Oooh, exciting!”

You exhaled slowly and shrugged, “I’m dating an Avenger.”

“Slash mob boss.” Yua leaned in and whispered, “Have you seen him like… kill anyone yet?”

“No, god,” you said. “He can’t talk to me about work anyway.”

“Watch, one day, you two are going to be living together. And it’s gonna come to your home. And bam! He’s gonna shoot someone in your kitchen, blood seeping onto the floor.”

“Wow, Yua. That’s quite high ambitions you have for my relationship.”

“I think it’s kind of… sexy,” Yua contemplated. “You know, just those stereotypes about passionate and possessive mob members, doing anything to protect their woman – or man or whoever… whatever is the preferred S.O. of said mob member. We don’t discriminate here in my fantasy land.”

Giggling, you told her, “I’m glad you have such an open mind.”

“Hey, when you’re rich though, living in your ivory tower with your proprietorial dreamboat – in my headcanon for you of course, still –, don’t forget us little people, i.e. me,” Yua told you, pointing her spoon at you threateningly. “Throw some cash to us peasants.”

You almost choked on your soup due to your laughter. When you both caught your breath, you told her, “Nothing can keep me away from you. Promise.”

<> <> <>

“Are you sure?” you asked for what was the countless time since Steve had picked you up from your place and told you he was going to take you to the Avengers compound upstate. You were nervous; this place had clearance checks you were sure. What if you saw some things you were not supposed to? And then that came back to bite you in the ass later? Upon seeing the long fence and armed checkpoint entry coming up, you were prompted to ask one more time.

Steve looked over, relaxed in the driver’s seat. “I’m sure, doll face.”

The compound was huge, the facility sitting back amongst a large green yard. When Steve drove up, the building dwarfed the car. You were used to tall buildings, sure, but one so far out without anything next to it made it seem that much larger.

You stayed as close to Steve as you could as he led you through the facility towards what he referred to as the living quarters.

“Finally!” Thor exclaimed when Steve and you entered the room. Your eyes widened seeing the Asgardian god so up close. He was more handsome than he seemed in the posters. His gaze moved to you and ran up and down you, taking you in. To Steve he said, “Who’s this?”

“Y/N. My girlfriend,” Steve answered, gesturing for you to take a seat on one of the plush armchairs. “She’s going to stay here while we do the extraction.”

“Extraction?” you asked confused. He had not mentioned anything about him going on a mission. You thought you were simply coming here because he wanted you to see the facility.

Thor chuckled, “You’re scaring the poor thing.”

Steve assured you, “It won’t take too long.”

“But—”

“It was easier to bring you with than come here, go, come back, drive back to the city, and then back up to Vermont.”

“Vermont?”

“Do you tell her nothing, Rogers?” Thor joked.

Steve gave you a kiss on your forehead, “It was a surprise. I got us a room at a resort on Lake Morey. You said you like to kayak, correct?” You nodded weakly. He smiled pleased. “I’ll explain more on the car ride up there when I get back.” He started to move past you.

“Steve, I have no bag,” you protested.

“I have clothes for you. Trust me. I have it under control. I need to change though, Y/N. I’ll be right back.” He tore his eyes away from you and left you in the room with Thor.

Nervously, you turned your attention to him. He smiled at you, “I’m sure he has something swell planned, milady.”

“Yes,” you nodded in agreement.

“He bought the clothes,” a voice sounded from the other side of the room and you startled at the sound, turning quickly. Natasha was standing there with a container of yogurt in hand. You had not even heard her enter; you should not have been surprised considering who she was. She was wearing a full leather suit, obviously joining Steve and Thor on this evacuation. “Sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump. But, he didn’t break into your apartment if that’s what you’re worried about. With the clothes. I saw Bryce coming back with a couple of bags. I don’t think he shops at Banana Republic, he’s not that stylish.”

“Oh, I didn’t think Steve did that,” you gave a nervous laugh. “Why… why would I think he would do that?

“People have funny imaginations. An important part of what I do involves me trying to get ahead of them, so, forgive me,” Natasha explained as she sat down at the desk nearby, kicking her feet up onto it, crossing her ankles. She took a bite of her yogurt, her eyes ever watchful. “How’s your friend doing?”

“Friend?” you asked, brow creased before realization dawned on you. “Oh, Natalie. Well, just… working I suppose. Like normal.”

“She still seeing that person?”

“Um… I-I’m not sure?”

Natasha looked contemplative before giving a small hum of thought. You were hoping the conversation would end there; you did not want to lie to her. If that ever came out, you did not want to be on her bad side, especially since she was so close to Steve.

Thankfully, something started ringing and Natasha put her feet down, leaning forward to press a button on the desk. A man appeared out of thin air as a hologram and you recognized it as King T’Challa.

“Your majesty,” Natasha greeted him, leaning back in her chair once more.

T’Challa greeted her in turn before informing her that Shuri was standing by whenever they were ready, just to give them a signal. Natasha shot you a quick look, not answering. T’Challa followed her gaze, seeing you. There was a mutual understanding, you believed, between the two of them to not divulge more than needed with you in the room.

“We will be sure to do that,” Natasha told him. “Steve should be ready, he’s just getting suited up.”

T’challa gave her a small nod before he signed off.

Steve appeared again as he disappeared and your mouth fell open momentarily before you closed it, blushing. It did not go unnoticed by him, a twinkle in his eyes. The suit was not the famous stars and stripes, but a dark one, accentuating every muscle in his body. He was not alone though. This was only the third time you had seen Bucky since you had begun seeing Steve. He gave you a warm smile as he met your eyes.

“Shuri is ready,” Natasha informed him. She ate quickly to finish her yogurt as she stood, before tossing it in the garbage. She walked towards the small kitchenette to put the spoon in the sink. “Barnes, you’re staying behind?”

“Yep, keeping Y/N company.”

Relief washed over you that you were not going to be alone. He gave you a wink, “We’ll have some fun playing some old-fashioned board games.”

Approaching you, Steve cupped your chin. “Be good,” he ordered, giving you a quick kiss. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

<> <> <>

A week later, you found yourself on board of Tony’s yacht. Steve was below with Happy and Rhodes playing poker. Pepper was keeping you company, even if she intimidated you. She was queen bee as far as you were concerned in this group, being married to Tony and all. She was kind though and intelligent. It was easy enough to talk to her; small talk seemed to come easy to her and that put you at ease more smoothly.

She was currently pregnant, almost eight months along. She was stunning in her black two piece, a sheer and lace trimmed floral cover over her shoulders and arms. When you had come aboard, she had insisted you borrow one of her large sun hats to avoid getting burned since you would be spending a lot of time on deck.

“Don’t want to be getting premature wrinkles with a sunburn,” she had stated before waving her maid off to go fetch you one.

Now, the two of you were lounging on the wrap around couch on the deck, sipping on lemon water. You had declined alcohol, not wanting to further dehydrate yourself under the warm spring sky.

“I apologize for Tony not showing his face yet. He was on a conference call with one of his partners in San Francisco. The man cannot separate himself from his work. Unless it involves knocking me up or finding himself some scotch.” She paused and then grinned, “Well, it looks like his ears were burning.” You noticed Tony was sauntering into view from inside finally. “Excuse me, I do need to use the restroom.”

She got up with some effort, telling you it was alright, she did not need help. Cradling her stomach, she walked off towards the door leading inside. She stopped at his side, exchanging a few words. His eyes flashed over to you for a moment during the conversation. She gave him a quick kiss before continuing inside.

His eyes landed on you and he came over, sitting down in the seat next to you. He crossed his legs, one arm draped over the back of the couch so he could face you.

“I’m told I need to apologize for keeping my guests waiting.”

“O-oh, Mr. Stark, that’s not—”

“Tony.”

“Tony. That’s not necessary. Pepper was exceptional company.”

“Well, aren’t you sweet? I’ll have to tell her that.”

His eyes raked over you unabashedly. When he met your gaze again, you were like a deer in headlights. He was sizing you up but what for and why so lasciviously?

“So, you’ve got Cap all in a tizzy.”

“How do you mean?”

“Oh, don’t play coy, my dear. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?”

Tony was charming, you had to admit. But there was a dangerous aura about him.

“Plus, I mean, he brought you to headquarters. That’s pretty serious. Normally I wouldn’t agree with letting someone in so quickly – it’s not safe. But I trust Steve’s judgment.”

“It was a beautiful building,” you offered in truth.

Tony chuckled, “You’re darling.”

You were not quite sure what you said that was cute, but you gave him a shy smile all the same. If you thought Pepper was intimidating all on her own, speaking to Tony one on one was sure one upping that.

He reached out, grasping your hand to your surprise. It was gentle though, not rough. His thumb fluttered across the back of your hand as he leaned in, looking at you over the rim of his sunglasses.

“You’re going to fit in fine here. Just sit there and look pretty. You’re doing perfect already.”

With that, he gave your hand a light squeeze before standing up. He hesitated, watching you, waiting for you to move as he still had hold of your hand. You were still stunned by what he had just said but pulled yourself together enough to follow his lead. “That’s a good girl. Let’s go join them downstairs. Are you ready to watch your boyfriend lose at poker?”

<> <> <>

Flushing the toilet, you groaned. Pushing yourself away from the rim, you got to your feet unsteadily. Stumbling over to the sink, you ran your hands under warm water, lazily washing your hands. You turned the handles to cold, splashing the water on your face, a short reprieve from the heat on your skin.

You had never been hung over for three days in a row before. Two, that had happened before a handful of times. Delayed response and all, still feeling tired. But never still nauseous and throwing up. Third was unheard of, so when you woke up this morning still feeling crappy, you were pretty annoyed at your body for betraying you so. It was the third day in a row you had called in. You were sure you would need to get a doctor’s note but the idea of leaving your apartment right now to go to a walk in clinic made you even more queasy.

“I’m never drinking again,” you vowed to yourself in a mumble to your own reflection. “I promise, universe. Just make me feel better.”

Coming out of the bathroom, you found your phone lighting up. Sighing, you saw Natalie was texting you about catching dinner later tonight. Shit, it was your monthly girl’s night with her and Yua. She was asking about what you wanted to grab to eat.

_I can’t promise I am going to make it. I am really not feeling well. I have been feeling better as the day goes on but I don’t know if I should just stay home in case I have something you guys can catch._

_Oh no. Cough? Headache? Vomit?_

_Vomit. Nausea. I’m so tired of it._

_How long has it been going on? Should you go to the doctor you think? Maybe it’s food poisoning?_

_It’s been three days. I drank a lot on Monday watching the game. I don’t know what I would have eaten that would have gotten me sick like this. I haven’t ordered out food and I just went grocery shopping Sunday morning with Steve, so my food should be fresh._

It took Natalie a few minutes to text back.

_Are you late?_

You gave a small laugh reading that. But your smile slowly disappeared as you thought about it. You took too long to respond.

_Y/N?_

Your hands were shaking as you texted her back.

_I need to go to the store._

_Jesus. Let me know, okay?_

You promised her you would before rushing to throw some jeans on to run down to the small pharmacy on the corner.

<> <> <>

“How… how did this happen?” you asked shakily. Your knuckles were white at how hard you were clenching your hands.

“What do you mean?” Steve asked, cocking his head, a smirk tugging at his lips.

How he found this amusing was beyond you.

You called him the moment you had gotten the result. Well, almost right on the moment. You got sick again, at the thought or because of the morning sickness, you were not sure. It may have been both of them. He had been surprised you were asking him to come over on a Thursday night but had not questioned you much past that. You burst the moment he walked into the apartment. To your immense shock, he was relatively calm. And amused apparently, which caused you to feel even more frustrated.

“I’m on birth control!” you exclaimed. “This shouldn’t have happened. I mean, I know you weren’t wearing a condom… any of the times. But, still, this shouldn’t have happened!”

“It’s not one hundred percent effective, Y/N.”

Something about him telling you that felt condescending and you snapped, “I know that.”

“And… it was me you were having sex with.” You eyed him curiously. He shrugged, “I’m not exactly normal. And it’s not like we weren’t in bed, you know, constantly.”

Tears stung at your eyes. You turned away from him, walking a few steps away. You stared at nothing out of your sliding glass door into the setting sunlight.

You heard Steve begin to approach you from across the room and before he could reach you and no doubt try to comfort you, you turned quickly. He stopped in his tracks as you said, “We have to do something… there’s a good clinic. It’s not expensive and the doctors are good. I know, I’ve had a friend had to go there before.”

Steve was in front of you immediately, any trace of amusement he had had vanished. He grabbed your arms tightly and he ordered, “We don’t have to do anything about it. Especially what you’re suggesting.”

“This isn’t 1940-fuck myself, Steve! We have only been dating for a couple months. We don’t have to have this baby!”

His hand shot up, tightening like a vice on your jaw. Nose inches from yours, he glowered at you. And for the first time you were frightened of him. All the warnings Natalie had showered on you since the beginning crashed like a tidal wave. There was fury in his eyes, freezing you to the spot.

“You listen to me, Y/N, and you listen _very_ carefully. Nod if you understand me.” You gave the slightest of nods, your eyes as wide as saucers. “I don’t care what year it is and what you think we have to and don’t have to do. That baby is mine and we are going to have it. Do you understand me?”

“I—”

“I won’t take no for an answer.”

“I wasn’t…” you stumbled, looking up at him tearfully.

“Good,” Steve said firmly. “You’re not thinking straight, that much is clear. At least you can follow that though.” He stared into your eyes for a few tense moments. He let go of your jaw, moving back to give you a couple inches. His hand moved to your eyes and you swallowed sharply, worried about what he was going to do. He had never acted like this before, never made you feel on edge. He wiped away a tear with his thumb. “I know it’s emotional, doll face. But we don’t need to go losing our heads. Right?”

He was staring down at you expectantly and you knew this was not something to disagree with him on.

You licked your lips and whispered, “Right.”

Exhaling slowly, Steve nodded, “Good girl.” He wiped another tear and asked, his tone far less domineering, “Do you need anything? Seltzer water? Something to eat? Soup? You said you were getting sick. You probably need something to hydrate you.”

“I… um…”

He cut you off, “I’ll go down to that Greek restaurant down the block. They’ll have soup, probably chicken which will be perfect for you. Unless the smell will make you sick?”

“I don’t think so,” you said, your voice small.

“Okay. I’ll do that for you. I’ll be back soon.” He grabbed you, bringing you to him, planting a kiss on your forehead softly.

You watched him silently as he threw his coat back on, grabbing his keys. He tossed a look over his shoulder and said sternly, “Stay here. You understand?” You nodded numbly and he said, “Alright, love you, doll face.”

The door closed behind him and you stood in the center of the room, trying to make heads or tails of what had just happened.

<> <> <>

Steve stepped out onto the street, pulling out his cell phone. He dialed and brought it up to his ear, waiting for the answer.

“Yes?” Tony answered.

“I’m gonna need a few days to myself.”

“For?”

“Y/N’s pregnant.”

“Took you long enough.”

“Yeah, we’ll see when I take her in to get a check up to see how far along she actually is. I need to move her into my place. And I’m gonna need Bryce full time. Make sure she doesn’t run off. She’s rattled.”

“We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” Tony mused. “I’ll update Friday too in your place. Extra security.”

“Thanks.”

“You realize it’s going to be a little embarrassing showing up without you tomorrow to see Rocco? That’s a big deal, Steve.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” Steve assured him.

“You’re lucky I like her as much as I do, otherwise I would be more upset about this,” Tony told him. “I’ll let Bryce know he’s going to be playing babysitter now.”


	5. Chapter 5

You ate in silence at your dining table. Tears still stung at your eyes, no matter how you tried to hold them back. Your mind was racing, trying to still make sense of what had happened. Steve had never been that aggressive with you. Sure, he had been heated outside the club when he had found you flirting with Joseph. But he had not frightened you; he had not become an imposing shadow, stealing away your ability to speak what you felt.

He had not mentioned children more than a handful of times, commenting he wanted them. It had seemed harmless enough; wanting children was a normal ambition for people. But the way he reacted… he was showing a completely different side. Domineering. Maybe that is who he truly was and your defiance to his desire triggered it. 

“That going down all right?” Steve questioned, genuine care in his tone, interrupting your thoughts.

“Obviously,” you muttered before you could stop yourself.

Steve stilled for a moment, tossing a scrutinizing look over at you. You ducked your head again, taking another bite. He waited a few moments, still studying you. When he turned away, you felt the tension relax in your frame.

You excused yourself to bed after finishing your soup. It was only 8:30pm but you just wanted to sleep. Steve informed you he was staying the night – not to your surprise.

He came up behind you, his strong arm wrapping around you. You sniffled and he peered over your shoulder. “Hey,” he said gently. His fingers came up underneath your chin, turning your head to look at him. “Oh, doll. I know you’re scared. But I’m right here. I promise.” He was calm, caring just like you knew him to be. And that made the situation even more confusing, more tears overflowing. He leaned down, shushing you quietly, laying soft kisses along the side of your face. “You’re going to be okay. I’m not leaving. Okay?”

You licked your lips and whispered, “Okay.”

<> <> <>

Thankfully, you had Fridays off having a four ten-hour day schedule, so you did not have to suffer the embarrassment of calling in for the fourth day in a row. You did not think it was possible for you to keep yourself together if you had to explain to your boss why you were not coming in.

You slept in past 8:00am. How you had managed to sleep almost twelve hours was surprising but you amounted it to the stress.

When you came out of the bedroom, Steve was standing in the living room, staring out the window, on the phone. You saw there was a plate of pancakes and bacon – that is what had initially roused you from your sleep. You were a little queasy but the carbs might help make you feel better.

Steve heard the floor creak and he tossed you a smile in acknowledgment. “Yes, exactly. On Monday would be perfect. We can get everything packed up over the weekend.” You stilled, your eyes moving to his back. “And how much is that going to be? I can have the money wired or if you need a card the day of, that works too.”

You slowly sat down grabbing an empty plate and taking some of the pancakes slowly, focusing most of your attention on his conversation.

“Uh huh. Yep, that’s the address, correct. Steve Rogers.” He paused and chuckled. “Yes, I am. No. No, it’s not my place. It’s my girlfriend’s. Mhmm.”

You realized you had poured too much syrup on your pancakes, not paying attention. You swore under your breath quickly upturning the bottle to place it back on the table.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

He hung up, turning around to face you. “Oh, good. I made that for you.” He began texting.

“What… who were you talking to?” you asked.

“Moving service.”

“A moving service?”

Steve did not spare you a glance as he continued to type, “Yes. I want you to move in with me. It would make me feel more relaxed having you close.”

“I can’t move in with you.” That caught his attention. You swallowed sharply seeing the look on his face, but you pressed on, pointing out, “It’s too far away from work. That is a long commute for me.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. You quit.”

Astounded at his nonchalant attitude about your career, you protested, “I don’t want to quit, Steve. I can still work. I’m pregnant, not disabled.”

“I’m sure you can,” he responded. “But I don’t want you to. And you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself. I already visited your employer this morning and let her know you wouldn’t be coming back. So, like I said, you quit.”

You felt like the air had been kicked out of you. You thought he had meant that you should quit, not that it had already been done. And done without your consent.

“You did _what_?” you asked in disbelief after a few moments of staring at him, gaping like a fish.

He stopped typing again and locked eyes with you. He explained slowly, “I went to your employer and explained to her you wouldn’t be coming back in. She understood.”

“She ‘understood’? What did you do?”

Steve narrowed his eyes, his hands dropping a little. He asked tensely, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Holding back an accusation of him being forceful, you instead switched gears to hopefully garner sympathy. “Steve! You… you probably just ruined my chances of getting a job again in this field. Word travels! I can’t just… quit! After being out of the office for three days. It’s not a good look!”

“This is how it was going to end up anyway. It just happened faster than planned.”

“How _what_ was going to end up?”

“You were not going to be working forever. You don’t need to. Not if you’re married to me and we have children together.”

A scoff escaped, “I don’t remember being a part of that conversation. You’re taking everything away from me! And I’m sorry, marriage?”

He stalked over to the table, tossing his phone down. He placed his hands on the back of the char across from you, leaning on it. “Taking away from you? Y/N, I’m giving you everything!”

“How? By forcing me to have a child I am not sure I want? Or using your power to just up and quit my job – especially without my agreement? Making me move in with you – AGAIN, without my agreement? You’re making all these decisions about my life without speaking with me!”

“About our life, Y/N. This isn’t just about you. That’s a very childish way to think about it.” Your mouth fell open at that, him calling you selfish. He pointed at himself, “I am making all the hard decisions because you’re demonstrating to me you only want to take the easy way out. Is that how you solve problems, Y/N? I thought you more mature than that, but I have been proven wrong. It’s frankly disappointing.”

Scornfully, you asked, “Well, if you think me so immature, then why are you insisting we go through with this? I mean, what immature person could take care of a baby?”

“You’ll have help,” Steve said, piqued. “Pepper is giving me recommendations for nannies.” You scoffed again, looking away from him, trying not to cry from your frustration. Steve growled, “You should be grateful. With how loose you have shown yourself to be, it could have been anyone that knocked you up.” You snapped your head back to stare at him, hurt. He shook his head seeing your expression, his eyes cold. “Even after you showed you were all too ready to move on quickly and have another cock between your thighs as if I meant nothing, I forgave you. I had already fallen for you. I couldn’t let you slip away – I won’t let you slip away.” He pointed at you aggressively. “You should be thanking me, not backtalking me. I won’t tolerate it. Not from you. My patience is wearing thin, so drop the damn attitude! You hear me?”

You said nothing, glaring at him, biting your cheeks.

Steve said more forcibly, “Y/N, I expect a damn answer.”

Tightly, you got out through gritted teeth, “I heard you.”

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

“Good,” he said tersely. “You should think about what I said. I’m doing this for us.” He stared at you for a few more moments, as if he was waiting for you to retort something. You were past that, knowing it was not going to help you right now. He seemed satisfied with your silence, pushing away from the table and grabbing his phone. “Eat your breakfast.”

<> <> <>

Feet tucked up underneath you on the couch in front of the large fireplace, you texted Natalie.

_What do you mean you quit?_

_Steve insisted I don’t have to work. I’m going to be taken care of._

_So, you’re throwing your career away because you got pregnant? You do realize you can have both, correct?_

Your instinct was to text back that you knew that, but you were afraid to. Because you were unsure if Steve would ask to see your phone and be irked by what he saw.

_I know. Having some time off might be good during this though._

_It’s going to be more than a year, Y/N. You’re going to lose a lot of time!_

_I know. But I’ll be fine. I’ll figure it out._

It had been tense with Steve for the last few days, you feigning sickness more often than usual. You thought he could see through the charade but he did not call you out as a liar. It was going to come to a head at some point; his lust seemed to be insatiable. He had told you as such that he was craving you and could only handle so much time apart.

What you told Natalie was true, you were going to figure it out. It was too much at once. All these thoughts had been rushing through your mind. Was what he said right? It had gotten under your skin. At least in the sense that you were immature? There had to have been many people in your situation faced with this decision and so many sucked it up and grew up. Were you afraid of growing up and being a mother? Steve had taken you to the doctor earlier this morning to check on everything. You were over a month along, which means you had gotten pregnant very quickly.

You sighed, thinking for the umpteenth time that day if being pregnant with Steve was actually the end of the world or if you were making a bigger deal out of it than you needed to.

Bucky strolled into the room and you straightened up, quickly tucking your phone underneath your thigh. He noticed and cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. You gave him what you hoped was an innocent smile. Before, you would have welcomed his company with open arms but now you knew you needed to be guarded with them all. They were Steve’s friend’s, not yours.

“Steve around?” You shook your head. “Hmm, he say when he was gonna be back?”

“No,” you answered quietly.

Bucky was eyeing you and you tried to be calm underneath the scrutiny. You were not doing anything inherently bad texting your friends, but Steve had made it clear he did not want you divulging too much. You were sure the other Avengers were aware of this and agreed with him; their livelihood was at stake if you spoke or knew too much.

Coming over to the couches, Bucky sat close by, leaning back, arms draped over the back of the couch.

“How are you settling in?”

You shrugged, “Fine, enough. I guess.”

“You guess?”

“It happened really fast,” you offered.

Bucky hummed in acknowledgment, nodding. “Seems that’s how it goes most of the time.”

You did not like it moving fast, that was the problem.

“I’ll give you an update after it’s over,” you sighed.

“You sound miserable.”

You just averted your eyes, giving a slight shrug.

“You’ll get used to it, Y/N,” Bucky said reassuringly. “Steve cares a lot for you. And he’s always wanted a family. This is perfect for him, so he’s going to be a little intense. He’ll chill out. Trust me. I’m his best friend and all.”

Being bold, you locked gaze with him and said coolly, “I just wish I had some say in it. It is my body after all if everyone somehow forgot.”

Let him tell Steve that. Maybe it would sink in differently if it came from Bucky.

Bucky instead of looking taken aback, actually looked impressed. “There it is. That fire Steve said you had.” You were unsure if you should take that as a compliment or not. He shifted forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He pierced you with a serious look, “Some advice though… you did give yourself to him the moment you got in bed with him. He’s going to have final say, and as I’m sure you know, he doesn’t like pushback. And I’m sure not especially from you.”

Wasn’t that the truth.

“I would realign that fire to becoming the wonderful mother we all know you can be rather than resisting him. It won’t end well that way. He’s not a man to cross.” He paused before adding, “He’ll give you the stars as long as you do as he asks.”

You were quiet, letting what he said sink in.

Bucky sat in silence was well, watching you closely.

Was this going to just be your life now? Living in this large house, waiting for your child to arrive and then continue staying here, rearing children for Steve? Bucky’s point was clear: you were not leaving here, let alone him, unless Steve gave you permission to.

“I need time,” you said stiffly. “It is a lot to take in.”

“I’m sure. But you are in perfect hands.” He got up from the couch. “I’ll go wait in his study so I don’t continue bothering you.” His gaze flicked to where your cell phone was hidden for a split second.

You nodded in acknowledgment, electing to stay quiet as he walked past you towards the stairs.

<> <> <>

As soon as Bucky was in Steve’s office, he shot him a quick text.

_She’s being sneaky about her phone._

It did not take long for Steve to respond.

_Don’t worry about it. I’ll see if she says anything I don’t like. She’s being good so far._

Bucky snorted reading the text. “Sneaky bastard,” he muttered.

<> <> <>

A week later, Steve was at it again. He came up behind you in the bathroom mirror, his arms wrapping around you as you dried your face after your face scrub. His hands played with the hem of your short robe.

“Don’t,” you said, pulling away from him.

Steve’s face darkened and he grabbed your wrist, stopping your forward motion. He yanked you back to him and you winced at the tug. His hand came up to grip your other wrist, holding them in between you.

“What did we talk about, Y/N?”

You tried to pull away again and he held fast. You pleaded, “Steve. Please. I just want to sleep.”

“You had all day to sleep. And you’ll have all night after I’m finished,” he told you, pulling you closer. His forehead rested on yours, his eyes closed. “I haven’t seen you all day. But you didn’t leave my mind, baby.”

You swallowed sharply at his intimate confession.

His hands left your wrist, finding the ribbon on your robe instead and undoing it. He pushed the robe from your shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. He hummed in approval seeing the babydoll you were wearing; it was the pink, satin one you had put on when he had brought you home from your first date.

“You look gorgeous,” he murmured.

You gave in, letting his tongue slip past your lips. Steve’s hand ghosted up your thigh underneath your babydoll and in between your thighs. He groaned against your lips, his fingers delving past your folds. His thumb caressed you, working you up, despite your initial disdain about being in his arms.

Steve picked you up, your legs wrapping around his waist. On your back on the bed, he slipped inside you. He did not draw it out, going right for it, panting and groaning above you. Steve always made sure you came before he did, his stamina being superior to yours. He held you close as you tightened around him, your legs quivering. When he came, his head fell beside yours, resting on the pillow. You were pinned beneath his immense weight for a minute before he pushed away from you, hovering overhead.

Steve trailed kisses down your abdomen, causing you to shiver.

“Can’t wait to see you heavy with my baby. You’ll look perfect,” he husked against your skin. “I love you so much.”

He meant it too. He did love you. And that did not bode well for you for whenever you did escape.


	6. Chapter 6

The crack of Steve’s fist against the man’s jaw reverberated through the room. It left the man unable to speak, his jaw broken. He laid on the ground, whimpering as the blood from him biting his tongue on impact seeped from his mouth.

Adrian stared down at the ground at the man. “Well, that was unhelpful if you wanted him to talk anymore,” he drawled, meeting Tony’s eyes calmly. Despite having been kidnapped and now being cornered in a room with Tony and Steve, their men outside, he was too calm. Much to Tony’s annoyance; he wanted him rattled.

“I don’t want to hear from him. I want to hear from you,” Tony said, flashing him a sarcastic grin. He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms.

“Careful. You might crease that expensive suit,” Adrian sneered.

“Don’t worry. I have two more of the same at home. It’s not that big of a deal. Plus, I don’t do my own laundry, so… even less of a deal for me,” Tony quipped. “So, Adrian. Who gassed you up and made you get buck?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Cut the shit,” Steve said, danger in his tone. “You know exactly what we are talking about. Sure, we got the kid to squeal but,” he stepped closer, his arms crossed across his chest. Adrian stared up at Steve, only a flash of concern in his eyes as Steve towered over him. He leaned close and hissed, “I want to hear it from your mouth. And it’ll go better for you if you just do as I ask.”

Adrian spat in Steve’s face.

Steve stepped back, giving himself room to gear up and plant a swift kick to Adrian’s chest, sending the chair flying back. Adrian cried out as his face made impact with the cement.

“You son of a bitch!” Steve snarled, wiping at his face.

“Hmm, that was a poor choice,” Tony mused. Adrian stared up at him from the ground, wincing in pain. “Hopefully Steve here didn’t break a rib. Not that I would feel bad if he had. I would’ve slit your throat if you spit in my face. So, you’re going to stay down there for now since you got yourself in that position. Let me repeat myself: what made you think you could fuck with us? Try to screw with our operation? Hmm?”

Adrian shot Tony a defiant look and Tony sighed, knowing what was coming. “I think there are a great many others that would come gunning for you, Stark. Maybe think about that.”

Rolling his eyes, Tony yelled over his shoulder, “We’ve got a problem!”

The door opened and Wanda walked into the room, her eyes fixed on Adrian lying on the ground. Adrian immediately stiffened, unable to hide the nervousness on his face. Tony smirked.

“Hmm, that got your attention,” Steve said.

Adrian clenched his jaw, trying to mask again but he had already shown he was uncomfortable. They had the upper hand. He stared up at Wanda, his chest rising and falling quickly. He knew what was coming, he knew what she was capable of. Her eyes were already glowing when she leaned down next to him.

Writhing, still confined, Adrian’s eyes were lost, staring at nothing. Tony relaxed back in the chair, checking his watch. Steve paced on the side of the room, watching Wanda work. She smiled wickedly before Adrian gave a violent thrash, his head making contact with the floor.

“Alright, that should be enough, right?” Steve said to Wanda’s back.

She responded, standing up, before withdrawing her power. Tony was ready, kneeling down beside Adrian. Tony grasped Adrian’s jaw as his vision cleared. He observed the tears coming from the corners of Adrian’s eyes as he gasped for air, clearly spiraling into a panic.

“You work for us now, got that? I’m tired of small fish thinking they can swim upstream. You fucked up, Adrian. You could have kept your shitty little trade and made ends meet – hell, you did more than that. I saw you got yourself a nice house for you and your hot little fiancé. You’re lucky I don’t stop by and give her a visit.” He shook his head. “You just had to go and try to steal from us. All you did was piss me the fuck off and get yourself some cops to tail you.”

He let go of Adrian roughly who was sniffling, looking broken.

“Hope it was worth it, you jackoff,” Tony muttered, fixing the cuffs on his jacket.

<> <> <>

Walking into the garage, you eyed the car. You had swiped the key from the dish in the kitchen. Bryce had protested, saying you should wait until Steve got back. You told him if he wanted to tell Steve you were taking the car, be your guest, but you were leaving to get some air. You were gambling because you were afraid if Bryce actually did get a hold of Steve that he would actually tell you that you could not go. Your prayers were answered, and Steve did not answer his phone. Bryce was uneasy and you told him you were perfectly fine driving a car, you had been doing it for years. And if driving around with the windows down was against the rules, well then, you would have that discussion with Steve when he got back. He had not explicitly told you that you could not take the car, and Bryce could not argue that. He insisted on going with you and you insisted right back you needed some time to yourself.

“I’m not gonna kill myself, if that’s what you’re worried about,” you had shot at him before walking out of the kitchen towards the garage.

This was going to be the first time in practically a month you were leaving the house grounds on your own. Being outside here, you were still surrounded by a fence.

The car you were taking was expensive, a charcoal Audi. You had to make sure you did not get a scratch on it. It practically purred when you started it up and you smiled. This was going to be fun. Rolling up to the gate, you reached out, pressing the button. The guard near the gate eyed you suspiciously and you saluted them, sarcastically. It annoyed the shit out of you that they all thought you were so fragile you could not handle going by yourself.

Although, you did plan on going pretty fast, windows down, which would cause concern. And that is what you did, whipping around the winding road out towards where you knew there was a waterfront. You had spent time googling the surrounding area; it might come in handy later.

There was still snow on top of the mountains, even at this time of year. It must look beautiful in winter.

You pulled off on a turn out and turned the car off, getting out. The wind was a reprieve from the heat, not too strong and not too weak. You walked to the guardrail, looking out over the lake below. It was breathtaking.

Thinking of your friends, you took a picture to be able to send them later. Seeing such openness was not a luxury in the city. Maybe if you showed them you were out, they would not worry as much.

You stayed out for quite some time, walking back and forth. The air helped you clear your head, losing yourself in your thoughts. You were not settled in, still contemplating how you could leave. You knew leaving while you were pregnant was not an option. If you went to a hospital, your name would be in the records and that was easily traceable. And if you did not go to a hospital, how would you give birth on your own? You needed to have the baby first. Without seeing the baby yet, you thought it would be easy to leave on your own. It is not like the baby would not be cared for. But you worried that it would end up not being easy because how could you leave an infant? As controlling as Steve was with you, would that extend to his parenting?

Cars drove by every so often, catching your attention. You knew it was probably not the safest being alone out here in a pretty isolated area. You were testing your luck. Plus, Steve would be back sooner rather than later now. You still had a drive ahead of you to go back home.

Home.

The word turned sour when you realized you had thought of Steve’s mansion as your home. It was getting easier to think of it that way and that made you feel a mixture of anger and worry.

The drive back felt like going back to a gilded cage.

Upon pulling in past the gate, you saw up ahead Steve was walking out of the garage, anger etched in his features. He was striding towards the other car where Tony was getting out of.

“Shit,” you muttered to yourself before straightening up as you drove. You needed to act as calm as possible. If you did not think this was a big deal, maybe that would cool him off.

Steve said something to Tony and Tony looked past him to the garage. That was the moment Steve heard your car, his eyes snapping to meet your gaze as you pulled up, Tony following his gaze. You gave them a small smile, pressing the garage key on your visor, before whipping the car around to start backing it into the garage.

When you turned the car off, Steve was already standing by, glowering. Tony was still standing by his car outside the garage, trying to not pay attention to the scene. He had gotten his phone out, scrolling through, his head turned downward.

He reached out, opening the door before you could do it yourself, throwing it open. “Where the hell did you go?” Steve demanded.

Feigning surprise at his anger, you said as you got out with the minimal space Steve was leaving for you to do so, “Um, I went for a drive. Up by the lake. There’s a pull out overlooking it.”

“You didn’t ask me.”

“I didn’t know I had to.”

Steve warned, his voice strained, “Don’t play dumb, Y/N. You know damn well I don’t want you going out by yourself. Especially up to an isolated place like that. Anything could happen to you.”

“Nothing happened but fine. Noted,” you said, defeated. You made to walk past him, but he lashed out, his fingers closing in around your arm.

“ _Ask_ me, Y/N. Understand?”

“Well, for reference, Bryce tried to call you because that was his first instinct. But you did not answer. And I told him I would talk to you about it when you got back. And that’s exactly what is happening.”

Steve’s grip tightened and you winced. You were not leaving until you satisfied what he said.

“I understand!” you said, resisting the urge to try to tug your arm away from his grip.

He leaned in and told you quietly, “I want to know where you’re going so I know where to look if something goes wrong. Is that too much to ask?”

“No,” you said, trying to shy away from his stern stare.

Steve’s fingertips on his free hand came up underneath your chin, tilting your head to keep eye contact. “Don’t squander my trust with you, doll face.”

“I came back,” you returned quietly.

He studied you for a few moments before his hands dropped. “That you did. Regardless, what I said still stands. Don’t make that mistake again, Y/N, or I’ll lock the damn keys up.”

<> <> <>

Your doctor was making small talk as she prepped the transvaginal ultrasound. The position you were in was not unusual, just uncomfortable because you hated pap smears and that is all you could think of.

Steve was sitting next to the bed, holding your hand, caressing it gently. You looked over at him and he gave you a reassuring smile. He made sure he would be able to come; he wanted to come to every appointment with you, especially in the later months. He was more excited than you to come to the appointment, ready for the upcoming appointment when you would be able to tell the sex of the baby. He was in awe doctors were able to be able to tell and he kept a copy of the first ultrasound in his wallet. You caught him looking at it more than once, a smile on his face.

“Alright, ready?” she asked, catching your attention.

You nodded and she stuck the wand up gently. Steve was watching the screen closely, completely engrossed.

“Oh, there they are,” she said happily. Her smile faltered and she made a concerned noise.

“What?” you and Steve asked at the same time. You had a hunch the two of you were worried for different reasons at the sudden change in her demeanor.

“It looks like…” she started to say, trailing off, as she moved the wand slowly.

“What?” Steve demanded again, concern lacing his tone, leaning forward in his chair. His hand was holding yours tighter and you winced but did not pull away.

She pointed at the screen, “There. Look.” You had no idea what you were looking at where she was pointing and neither did Steve because both of you were staring, waiting for an explanation. She grinned back at the two of you, “Looks like there’s a second. You’re having double trouble.”

Reflexively, you collapsed back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Your chest was tight, you could not breathe.

“Hey,” Steve was over you, his eyes flooded with concern for you now. “Y/N.”

“I…” you started to say but could not form the words.

“You need to breathe,” your doctor told you, trying to coax you to do so. “Just count and breathe, Y/N.”

You tried focusing on their voices to calm yourself down. You did not need to freak out in the middle of the doctor’s office for a multitude of reasons. But all you could think of was how there were two, not just one. How could you travel with two babies if you were going to leave? You tried to force the thought from your head and instead focus on your breathing.

It took a few minutes, but you finally closed your eyes, swallowing sharply, feeling the panic subside.

“Two,” you breathed, locking eyes with Steve. He nodded and you did in return. You forced a smile, “Two. That… that’s more than one.”

Steve gave a strangled laugh, caressing the side of your face. “Yeah, yeah it is.”

“It’s going to be okay,” you said out loud to yourself.

“It’s more than okay,” Steve told you, smiling happily openly now. He kissed your forehead, lingering for a moment. “It’s wonderful.”


	7. Chapter 7

Steve got back onto the plane, sitting down as soon as he could. He was covered in sweat, having had to run back to the plane. He had sent Natasha ahead of him, insisting he could finish the mission on their escape. He had succeeded too.

“You alright, Cap?” Clint called from the cockpit.

“Yeah,” Steve answered as heartily as he could. He wiped at his forehead, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

“Must have been a tough sprint if it wore your ass out,” Tony commented from further into the plane.

“Got it done,” Steve responded, to a smirk from Tony.

As he relaxed, he pulled out his phone from the bag on the table next to him. He opened it, searching the cameras of the house for Y/N. It was something he did regularly when he was away; he liked keeping an eye on her whenever he could. He enjoyed watching her do regular things, even when doing nothing like sleeping. She was tranquil and he loved her pensive looks when she was reading or focusing on knitting.

Now though, she was racing through the house towards the front door and his brow furrowed in curiosity of what had her so excited.

He switched cameras to the driveway and saw a car pulling in. He straightened up in alarm, trying to zoom in on the driver. He relaxed, remembering their conversation a few days ago. He had told her that she could have her friends visit soon. She had technically asked but had not clarified when.

<> <> <>

They were here!

You came down the stairs as quickly as you could. Natalie and Yua had driven up upon your request. You told them Steve was going to be on a mission across the country, so it would be okay for them to come over for a few hours.

In the main living room, Bryce was talking to the front gate saying he was not informed any visitors were coming.

“It’s my friends!” you told him, slowing down next to him. He shot you a look of surprise. “Tell the gate to let them in or I’ll run down the driveway and push the button myself.”

“Did you ask Mr. Rogers? Does he know?”

“Yes!” you called over your shoulder. You were barefoot, not stopping to grab shoes. It was warm enough out being late summer.

<> <> <>

Bryce stared after Y/N confused. Steve had told him no such thing. He watched her disappear around the corner, and said into the phone, “Yeah, let them in.”

<> <> <>

Steve watched Y/N come out the front door – wearing no shoes at that – excitedly. She practically threw herself into their arms. Jealousy crawled over his skin; she had not done that for him for a couple months. She responded when he initiated sex and kissed him when he came home. But it was never with that much enthusiasm. Perhaps it was her pregnancy hormones; it is what he had to chalk it up to to avoid outright anger.

He dialed Bryce’s number and held it up to his ear.

“Don’t let them stay too long,” Steve ordered Bryce as soon as he answered.

“She did ask you, correct? She said she did.”

“Yes… she did,” Steve said with some difficulty. “I am just irritated I had not been informed exactly when she meant. But she did ask. We just have guests coming over later, remember?”

“Of course. I haven’t forgotten, sir,” Bryce replied.

“Good. I want Y/N to be able to freshen up with enough time. She doesn’t need to spend the whole afternoon giggling like a schoolgirl with her friends. And no, they can’t stay for dinner. Because I know she’s going to ask.”

He hung up the phone.

“She’s quite the little handful sometimes,” Tony commented lightly. “A foxy little handful. But a handful nonetheless.”

“Unfortunately,” Steve muttered in response, returning to the camera.

“You ever watch her shower on there when she’s alone?”

“Jesus, Tony.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Tony returned quickly. Steve gave a little laugh and Tony chuckled, wagging his finger at him. “See. I knew it. Nothing to be ashamed of. She is ultimately yours after all. Totally okay to be examining your most prized possession.”

“Who is over there?” Natasha asked.

“Her friends, Natalie and Yua.” Natasha perked up at the mention of Natalie and Steve noticed. He shook his head, “No. Not happening.”

Natasha mocked a pout, “Oh, come on, Steve. I don’t rough girls up too bad. She seemed interested enough. Even if she was seeing someone at the time. She may be single now.”

“Not happening, Nat. I don’t want anyone else there so we can talk freely.”

“Fine. Buzzkill,” Natasha muttered, leaning back in her chair.

<> <> <>

“Twins?” Yua and Natalie exclaimed at the same time as soon as you told them.

You nodded, cracking open your pop and taking a swift drink. You had asked the maid, Patricia, to whip up some sandwiches to have lunch with them. The three of you were seated in the living room, plates in your laps.

“Yeah. Can you fucking believe it? My first pregnancy and I get slammed with this.”

“Well, I won’t deny you got slammed—” Yua started.

“Oh, shut it,” Natalie cut in, slapping Yua upside the head.

“Ow! Okay, well, also, look at your tummy! I wouldn’t believe that you would be already showing like that if it were just one baby!”

“Yua! God!” Natalie scolded. “It’s not that big, Y/N.”

“It’s going to get a lot bigger,” you joked, a smiling tugging at your lips.

“See, Y/N can take a joke. Why can’t you, Natalie?”

You smiled at their banter, a feeling of loss tugging at your heart. You had missed last month and the month before girl’s night much to everyone’s disappointment. You had vowed to not make that mistake again which is why you had asked Steve if your friends could visit and he had agreed without much resistance, shockingly.

“How are you going to take care of two babies?” Natalie asked seriously as you picked up half of your sandwich, taking a bite.

“A nanny.”

She cocked her head in surprise. “Like… live in?”

You shrugged, “I’m not sure yet. Pepper is going to come over at some point and help me interview people.”

“Pepper?”

“Um, Tony’s wife.”

“First name basis with them now. Nice,” Yua said, nodding in approval. “You’re in with the big people now. Thanks for honoring my request to remember us little people. But, do you really want a live in nanny? If you do, you should get one that’s not too comely. Don’t want Steve Jude Law’ing you or anything.”

“Honestly, if he gave me a break, I might actually welcome the reprieve.”

“I TOLD you. Sex addict!” Yua exclaimed, throwing her hands out, her mouth full of sandwich. “I mean, the pregnancy—" You shushed her, trying not to laugh. You knew Bryce was nearby and you did not want him to overhear. She quieted down and whispered, “I told you. Didn’t I?”

Time flew by; sandwiches long gone, replaced by a bag of chips that were on their way to being completely demolished had taking their place. When you were interrupted with a clearing of a throat, the three of your eyes fell upon Bryce standing in the doorway from the hallway.

“Mr. Rogers said three hours. You still have to get ready for dinner tonight.”

“Oh…” you said, heat tinging your cheeks at being told you had a schedule to keep in front of your friends. Especially since dinner was mentioned and he was essentially telling you you needed to kick them out. “But, there is room—”

“Mr. Rogers said the team only,” Bryce cut in, only looking slightly apologetic at having to tell you that no, you could not ask your friends to stay.

“Dinner? And you didn’t invite us?” Yua teased.

“It’s with the team only, apparently…” you trailed off, shooting a quick glance at Bryce. He nodded once before turning to leave the room. “Steve wanted them over so we could break the news about the babies to everyone.”

“Oh, so we were the first you told? Perfect. I love feeling special,” Yua chirped, not seeming bothered by the fact she could not stay. Natalie on the other hand looked reserved; she had always been more perceptive than Yua.

“Of course you’re special, Yua,” you said, standing up from the couch. “I suppose we should… start saying goodbye. Have to make sure my hair is nice and all.”

Standing outside, Natalie turned to face you before getting into the passenger side. She leaned in, staring at you. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, the playfulness from moments ago having disappeared from her face. She was solemn, studying you closely.

You forced a smile, “I’ve got to be okay.”

“No. You don’t.”

“I know,” you whispered, giving her hand a squeeze. “It’s not all bad though.”

She exhaled heavily, looking dissatisfied with your answer. “Not all bad doesn’t mean good, Y/N.”

“It’s just… different,” you said, choosing your words carefully. “And I’m nervous. I mean, giving birth to one baby is terrifying. But going through the pain twice? What if they fight to be the first one out?”

That at least made Natalie laugh, relaxing the tension. You took the opportunity to pull her in for one last hug.

“Call us. For anything.”

“I will.”

As soon as they disappeared out of the gate, you felt weight pressing down on you again. You were alone once more. The mere few hours you had together had been reprieve but it had been far too short.

Annoyance built up in you at Steve refusing to let them stay for dinner. Deciding right there, you thought to hell with looking perfect. Simple hair, leggings, and winged eyeliner was the best he was going to get. You turned to go back inside and let Patricia know she could go home because you were going to be the one cooking dinner.

<> <> <>

Pepper sighed heavily settling into one of the tall plush chairs at Steve’s – well, your – kitchen island.

“Where’s Patricia?” she questioned, seeing you removing the chicken from the marinade Patricia had let it sit in for the better part of the day. You arranged it in two prepared pans, enough pieces for thirteen people, including Bryce and Eloise.

“I sent her home early.”

“Oh?”

You shrugged, “I wanted to cook the dinner myself. She’s wonderful but I wanted to do it myself. It calms me down. Always has.” You checked the clock and saw it was almost 5:00pm. Dinner was supposed to be at 6:00pm. The chicken would take thirty, so you decided to wait another ten minutes before putting it in.

“As long as you don’t poison me,” Pepper joked as her nanny, Eloise, came into the room, bouncing her baby. She smiled, “Oh, is she awake now? Ugh, she’s probably going to keep me up all night. Something to look forward to, Y/N.”

“Wonderful,” you said under your breath as you went into the pantry to look for the potatoes.

Pepper spoke to Morgan, playing with her as you turned the heat up to high on the stovetop to get the water boiling and began chopping the potatoes. Skin on, you thought to yourself. That is where most of the nutrients were anyway and Steve could not complain about you getting more nutrients now could he? You were going to roast them too.

“Shit,” you muttered to yourself remembering you were going to roast them. You moved to the fridge quickly to grab the baking soda and eyeballed the amount to toss in.

“What are you doing?” Pepper asked from the counter.

“Baking soda helps draw the starch to the surface and then when you bake them, it makes them extra crispy.”

“Interesting,” Pepper commented, sounding genuine. She eyed your stomach and said, “Are you wearing a loose sweater on purpose? Hiding a baby bump?”

Snorting, you lied, “There’s not much to see yet.”

“You’ll start showing more soon enough. You’re almost four months along now,” Pepper told you.

“Steve is very excited for that.”

“Men love seeing it because it makes them prideful that they put a baby there. But they’re not the ones growing the baby, are they?” Pepper noticed your stare over your shoulder, and she laughed. “Well, it’s true. I think women are our own brand of superhero. Our bodies are powerful. You should be proud of yourself. You’re doing something remarkable.”

You refrained from telling her she sounded a little Handmaid’s Tale-ish. It was true, of course. Your body held a special kind of magic to grow another human being. But like Bucky, she sounded like she was trying to coerce your thoughts and feelings to be more accepting of the situation.

“It’s not what I had planned for myself,” you finally said after debating about what to say. You opened the oven to slide the pans with the chicken inside. Now to prep the salad. Shit, you also needed to get the wine.

“Me either.”

You stopped what you were doing, standing still to give her your full attention.

“I hoped I would be on the board at Stark Industries. It took a long time for me to admit to myself I liked Tony, first off. His attention he gave me, his sarcastic wit. Yes, he was a little forceful, but he saw something there that I refused to see because I was so focused on getting a leg up in the company.” She was explaining all of this to you calmly, but you sensed some hurt beneath the surface. She gave you an encouraging smile all the same as she said, “Things don’t always work out the way you plan. But it doesn’t make it the end of your life. Just life as you knew it. Change doesn’t mean everything is falling apart.”

“And… you’re satisfied being home and taking care of a baby then?”

Pepper was quiet for a moment. “Most of the time.” She shot you a look. “I think you understand Steve and Tony are very much alike in their… ways and temperament. There will be days you pine for what could have been. But it’s best to keep that to yourself. It’s not worth the fight.”

She sounded like she was speaking from experience.

“I have a different sort of power now. You ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? ‘The man is the head of the house, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants.’” She leaned in. “Make him happy and you can have him wrapped around your finger. It makes things easier. For everyone.”

You bit back a comment, nodding in its stead.

“Trust me,” she said, leaning back in her chair, turning her attention back to Morgan who had began pulling at her hair. She poked Morgan’s tummy gently, smiling, “You little hooligan. I spent a long time on these curls. Daddy loves them, don’t go ruining it for him.”

Self-consciously, you touched at your hair that you had barely spent any time on. It looked fine but you had not put any extra effort into it. You had already made your choice though: a good dinner and sticking it to Steve subtly about waving off his ‘freshen up’ idea for you or do exactly as he asked, letting someone else cook the meal for the guests coming to your home. You had chosen the former.

A line of cars rolling up the driveway caught your attention out the window, and you told Pepper, “Looks like they’re here.”

You went back to attending to the potatoes, prepping them for the oven.

Tony came in first, much to Pepper’s happiness. She rose to give him a kiss and he commented that she looked lovely. He said hello to Morgan, tickling her, before his gaze fell on you. You could feel the heat of his stare on your back.

“Y/N is cooking?” Tony questioned. “Where’s the cook?”

You looked over your shoulder and said with more conviction than you felt, “I sent her home. Wanted to do it myself.”

“Hmm.” His expression and tone were unreadable, which made you slightly more nervous. Gauging his reaction would help you determine what Steve’s was going to be more accurately. “What have you guys been talking about?” 

“Nothing, just cooking tips,” Pepper told him without missing a beat. She held Morgan up to him. “Your daughter is in need of some cuddles from her father.”

Steve walked in next with Bucky, Sam, and Clint. His eyes fell on you, running over you quickly. He was stoic for a few moments, taking it in. Your resolve to be a brat was dissolving quickly, even if you knew he would not cause a scene in front of everyone. There was ice behind his eyes, if only for a moment that you caught.

“Seems Y/N is doing the honors of making our meal. What a treat,” Tony said to Steve and you knew then what his real feelings were about you cooking. You had a maid for a reason, that was the message.

The mask Steve donned was well crafted. “Truly. She hasn’t cooked me anything since we first started seeing each other. I have faith in her.”

He came over to you and now that his back was to everyone, you could see the truth in his eyes. He was not pleased with the situation, which had been your goal. Steve’s hand rested on your stomach, his nose nuzzling into your hair, inhaling deeply.

“We’ll talk about it as soon as everyone leaves,” he whispered into your ear. He placed a quick kiss on the side of your face before pulling away.

The dinner had gone well, everyone satisfied with the meal and even more happy with the announcement. That still did not quell Steve’s disappointment in your choice to be preoccupied with cooking rather than entertaining and spending quality time with your new pseudo-family. Talk about it you did not though. As soon as everyone left, Steve turned away from the door, not sparing you a look. He did not answer his study door when you knocked and called his name. You slept alone and cold. He shut you out and you hated to admit how much the rejection stung more than if he had yelled at you.


	8. Chapter 8

Steve had not come to bed. Your shower was slow, knowing there was nothing to rush for. You stayed in longer than necessary, basking in the warmth and taking time to lather your skin up with the soothing shower gel. More than once, your fingers fluttered over your nipples, eliciting soft sighs. You were restless and hoping the warm water would calm you down.

After getting out, you dried off, throwing on a light-yellow summer dress before using the blow dryer after.

On your way down, you checked at Steve’s study. The door was open and the room was empty. Maybe he was eating breakfast. When you walked into the kitchen, it was past 8:00am. Patricia was finishing putting away a plate of breakfast food and you apologized her. She waved you off, taking it back out of the fridge and placing it in the microwave.

“Have you seen Steve?” you asked, sitting at the island.

“He was gone when I got here, ma’am,” Patricia told you.

So, he had left before 7:00am.

When she placed the food in front of you, you smiled at her. “You used the mashed potatoes.”

“Was I not supposed to?” she asked worriedly.

You gave a quick laugh, “Yes, that was what I was hoping. I had thought I would be up earlier so I could let you know I made them last night for potato cakes in the morning. It’s like you read my mind.”

She looked pleased with this comment and nodded. “Do you want fruit?”

“Yes, please. Strawberries.”

The rest of the day was slow, you trying to focus on reading your book but your mind kept drifting back to the disappointed look on Steve’s face whenever you had made eye contact with him last night during dinner. He kept up appearances for everyone else, joining in the overzealous toast from Thor, blessing your soon to be ‘babes’ and accepting congratulations from everyone. But he had been upset with you and it had unexpectedly made you feel ashamed. You missed his touch last night.

His touch.

You imagined his hands slipping up your thighs, gently pushing your legs apart. His fingers creeping underneath your underwear, delving in—

You shook the thought from your head, trying to focus harder on the words on the page.

But—

His nose nuzzling along your abdomen, laying soft kisses as he worked—

You slammed your book close. There was no way you were going to be able to focus on this when you were getting this riled up. You were horny. That was the bottom line. You had felt it in the shower earlier and you should have given in and done it in there where it was private, and you could easily clean up.

When would Steve be home?

<> <> <>

His footsteps echoed through the entrance hall after the front door closed and you practically hopped off the couch to go intercept him before he could disappear into his study again. You skidded into the entrance hall, only stumbling slightly as your socks hit the marble.

Steve was already halfway up one of the staircases when he stopped and made to come back down, worry on his face seeing you stumble. He stilled when you balanced yourself.

“Be careful, Y/N,” he told you sternly. He turned to continue up the stairs.

“Wait,” you blurted, and he stopped again to look at you. “Are… are you going to talk to me?”

Steve said nothing and you were having trouble deciphering what he was feeling or thinking.

“At all?” you added quietly.

He licked his bottom lip, looking thoughtful. “Come upstairs.”

You followed him up, trying to keep a normal pace, and not see so eager. He led you to his study, closing the door behind you. You had only been in here a couple of times, avoiding it out of his request to not mess around in here. It was tidy but you knew there were things hidden; weapons and such that he did not want you to find.

Steve came to your side, peering down his nose at you. He was waiting for you to say something.

“You’re mad at me,” you finally said lamely.

“I’m disappointed,” Steve corrected. Disappointed always felt worse than angry, and you fought to keep eye contact. “I asked you specifically to be ready.”

“I was ready. I may not have done my makeup—”

“I’m not talking about that, Y/N. I meant to be with everyone. You were slaving away in the kitchen instead of spending time with everyone.”

“I’m sorry,” you said thickly.

“You made your choice.”

“I… I just wanted to cook.”

“Then cook for me. That’s completely fine. But when we are having people over, I want you to be with me. I want you to be with them. It feels like you were trying to hide yourself away.”

“I wasn’t.”

“I’m having a hard time believing you.”

You had prepared this excuse and executed the delivery perfect, “I was taught when people come to your house, you’re supposed to be a hostess. And that’s what I did.” Steve was quiet, taking that in. You shrugged, adding, “So, I’m sorry. Really.” Another pause, gauging his reaction. He was not budging, still silent. Giving a defeated sigh, you said, “I don’t want you to keep shutting me out because of it. But if you still need time, I guess I’ll just deal then.”

You took a step towards the door and Steve stopped you, pulling you back in front of him. His eyes raked over you, trying to see how genuine you were. He must have been satisfied with your answer because he said sincerely, “Thank you for explaining yourself. It gives me a better perspective.”

“Well, I would’ve last night but you left me by myself,” you muttered, eyes downcast.

“I was upset.”

“I know.”

“In the future, please, leave it to Patricia. You don’t have to wait on people hand and feet, especially pregnant. We have her for a reason. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” he said, nodding in approval. You leaned into his touch when he placed his hand on the side of your face. The corners of his lips upturned into a soft smile. “You are darling, you know that?” His eyes trailed down, eyeing the low collar of your dress, and one of his hands followed his gaze, coming to rest at your hips, the other at your cheek. You ever so slightly rolled your hips towards him at the firm grip and he murmured, “I heard your sex drive can really amp up in the second trimester.” You blushed and he smirked, feeling the warmth he brought there. “I am sure being alone really did leave you wanting.”

He was reading you like a book.

“Would you like me to do something about it?” he asked quietly.

Your hands rested on his chest and you nodded, much to his approval. Turning, he led you a bookcase along the wall and touched a book on it and you stared in awe as it popped open; it was a hidden door. He led you through it, and it led into his walk in closet. His lips found yours again and he pressed you further into the closet, closer to the bedroom. Your foot hit the plush chaise and he noticed.

“Lay back,” he ordered, his eyes blown wide with lust.

You rested against the back and arm, settled in the pillows as he pushed your dress up. His fingers hooked underneath the band of your underwear, tearing them down your legs. He laid sloppy kisses up the inside of your thigh. Tongue flat and wide, he licked up your pussy, making you shiver. He hummed in approval the reverberations adding to the sensation. His lips trailed up onto your stomach, peppering kisses around your middle.

Sitting up quickly – causing Steve to pause, looking at you with challenge, as if he thought you were trying to stop – you tore the dress over your head, undoing your bra and tossing it aside. Steve grinned when he realized what you wanted, and he obliged. His mouth was hot and wet on your quickly hardening nipples. You were so sensitive, even more so than normal. He bit down ever so slightly, and you keened, your hands groping at his shoulders.

“My gorgeous little doll,” he growled, moving to shove his jeans down. Your hands went up his sweater and he tore that off as well.

One leg hanging off, Steve plummeted in between your legs. You moaned, your fingernails digging into his forearms planted on either side of you.

“You’ll listen when I tell you to do something?” he husked, nipping at your ear. You nodded and he nipped harder. “Say it, Y/N!”

“Yes, I’ll listen,” you gasped in response to his fingers pinching at your erect nipple. “I promise!”

Your declaration was enough to get his hips snapping, your orgasm quickly following, and him subsequently. Steve’s kisses were bruising along your jawline, savoring the taste of you as he rode out his high. Your legs still trembled as you held him close, inhaling his scent deeply.

In the moments following passion, it was easy to forget the cage he kept you in.

<> <> <>

A few days later, you were unable to find him inside. He had not left the house; it was the weekend. He was staying home, he had told you so. You searched the rooms for him and then spotted him out on the patio, seated at the table beneath the large cover, bent over papers. Bryce was seated a few seats away, scouring over documents as well. You thought to grab a pitcher of water and a couple glasses. You grabbed a Sprite, slipping it into the pocket of your dress before gathering everything else.

Walking out the door, the wind swept through gently, tugging at the hem of your dress.

He heard you approaching and looked over his shoulder. You held up the pitcher, cradling the glasses. “Water?” you asked him.

Steve nodded, “Yeah, that’d be perfect. You should have some too.”

“Oh, this glass is for Bryce…” you said trailing off, waiting to see his reaction.

“Well, have some when you go inside then,” Steve replied and you nodded, pouring them both a glass. Bryce thanked you when you handed it to him.

He was examining a multi-page document with upmost attention. One hand was resting on his thigh, leaning forward as he peered over the document.

Pulling the Sprite from your pocket, you asked, “What’s that?”

Steve reacted to hearing you open the pop and eyed the can in your hand. “You’re gonna need to stop drinking those. Dr. Kamal said caffeine can affect your blood pressure and that’s important to regulate during pregnancy. Plus, it might affect the babies.”

“…There’s no caffeine in Sprite, Steve,” you told him slowly.

He obviously did not know that and you informing him of that did not seem to go over well based off the way he looked at you unamused. He pressed, “Regardless, you are going to change your diet, which includes anything that has caffeine in it. And Sprite does have a lot of sugar and that can lead to more weight gain. She says here,” he gestured at the document. “You could gain up to 50 pounds. That’s a lot of stress on your body. You don’t want to be adding any more if you can help it. I’d prefer if you didn’t gain that much. It would be hard to lose it and then just gain it again for the next one.”

Next one?

“We haven’t even had the first two,” you laughed nervously.

He sat up straight, his hand leaving the paperwork. “We’ll have five or six. Like I said, it’s going to be a toll on your body.”

“No shit,” you blurted without thinking and he cocked his head, looking at you in irritation now. You cleared your throat. “Trust me, I don’t want to be gaining 50 pounds,” you told him, holding your can of Sprite a little tighter. His gaze flicked to it and you said quickly, “Can I just finish this one? Please?”

“You’re already drinking it,” Steve sighed, looking back down and turning the page. “I’ll take the rest of the case to the compound and put it in the fridge there.” Your mouth set into a thin line which went unnoticed by him. “I’m gonna have a nutritionist set up a meal plan for you and give it to Patricia.”

“Where did you get this information? Is Bryce looking at it too?”

“No, I’m looking at—” Bryce started to say but Steve cut him off, without looking up, “No, he’s not. He’s looking at a file for work.”

Continuing, Steve said, “She said to contact her if we had any follow up questions after the appointment. I didn’t think to ask because… well, you know,” he said, his eyebrows raising. Right. How you had reacted to the news. “She sent me over information about your health during pregnancy.” He met your eyes now, “And I want you to do as it says.”

“What if I get a craving? Some women start craving the hell out of pickles. Or ice cream.”

“I think you’re craving lemons.” Your brow furrowed and he asked, “Would you disagree?”

“I…” you said trailing off, thinking about it.

“Do you usually drink as much lemon water as you are? You always request them when Patricia goes for the weekly groceries and I have yet to see that citrus juicer leave the counter because you are constantly refilling your water and putting lemon in it.”

How had you not recognized that yourself? You had drunk lemon water before – but mostly at restaurants. It calmed you down when you had it.

“Apparently you didn’t notice,” Steve said, seeing the realization on your face. “Just keep using that straw so you avoid really hurting your teeth with the acid.”

He was looking down again and you scowled at him, knowing he would not see. But then you saw Bryce looking at you, his expression unreadable. You quickly dropped the attitude and took another drink of your Sprite, savoring the taste since it seemed to be your last for quite some time. Especially if Steve was expecting to have you pregnant for the next decade it sounded like.

Something tugged at you and you followed the feeling, looking back up at Bryce. He was still studying you. He gave you the smallest of smiles, looking sad… no… like he was pitying you.

You filed that away for later.

<> <> <>

You sat on that interaction for days, wondering if you should take the leap. He had heard the whole conversation between you and Steve regarding how he was going to start controlling your diet completely and he essentially was going to breed you. Even knowing that though, you still found yourself searching out his attention. You hated how much you craved his touch too – it was a relief every time he got you to come. Your hormones were flying and having him get you off seemed to be the key to quelling all the anxiety.

It was too much. You were taking that leap. Steve was out of the house.

Walking barefoot out in the grass, you crossed your arms over your ever growing stomach. It was true, at four months you were starting to show and it was going to only get bigger – and quickly with twins –, rendering you more dependent on others for some daily tasks. It was already becoming more difficult to bend over, you trembled thinking about yourself at six or nine months along.

Bryce was walking across the lawn from the shop and you moved quickly to go over to where he was.

“Can I talk to you?” you called out. He stopped, facing you. You gestured, “Not right here.” His gaze was skeptical, but he followed you all the same. You moved to stand at the corner of the house, hopefully mostly out of the way of the outdoor cameras, but you doubted there was anywhere on the property without at least some line of sight.

“Is something wrong?” Bryce asked.

You studied him, gauging how to start. You were basing a lot of assumption about his viewpoint off of one look. But you had little else to go on. You swallowed sharply before saying in a fairly low volume, “I am going out on a limb here… but I need your help.”

“With what?”

“I need to leave.”

Bryce’s lips parted in surprise at your bluntness. He recovered quickly, countering, “How do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

He shook his head, “You cannot ask me to help you with that. You’re lucky I don’t tell Mr. Rogers you even brought it up.”

He began to walk away. You reached out to grasp his arm. “Please!” you pleaded. “I don’t want to be here anymore. Steve… he’s changed.”

Bryce was at least staying to hear you out. Your hand fell from his arm as he told you sternly, “He’s always been like this. Nothing has changed.”

“Well, he was dishonest with me then. He acted… sweet.”

“Has he not been sweet to you? Just yesterday afternoon he seemed very sweet, if you don’t mind me saying. He seems to be quite smitten, ma’am.”

“I don’t doubt his affection,” you said. “But c-can’t you see he’s keeping me locked away?”

Bryce was quiet, his gaze turned away from you, his eyes somewhere else along the greenery of the lawn’s edge. You stayed quiet, letting him gather his thoughts. When he finally spoke, he said quietly, “Do you understand what he could do to you?”

“What? Kill me? Perfect,” you said sarcastically.

“I don’t think he would kill _you_ , miss,” Bryce said solemnly, locking eyes with you.

You stiffened at that.

The longer the two of you spoke the more chance Steve would be looking in the cameras for the pair of you. And if he located you, who knew how much he could pick up if he had mics? It was illegal for security cameras to have audio recording, but this was his personal house, not some store.

Bryce stepped closer, “Even if I could help you, I wouldn’t.” Your face fell and he shook his head. “It would be very short lived, this grand escape you think you can pull off. You know how expansive Mr. Stark’s technology can reach. You would have the whole Avenger team looking for you. Where in the world do you think you could possibly hide? It would be a suicide mission to help you escape.”

He was not helping because of his loyalty. He was not helping because he believed it to be wasted effort and would have a terrible ending. How could you argue with that?

“You… he will take care of you. He cherishes you. Coddles you even.”

“Exactly!” you exclaimed upset. “I don’t need to be coddled. I... If you won’t help me, then I’ll just do it myself.”

It was Bryce’s turn to grasp your arm and plead, “Don’t do that. Please!” You said nothing, your face stony. He cursed under his breath and hissed, “If you are serious about it, then I’ll tell him. You can see it as a betrayal of trust, but I am trying to protect you. Staying here and finding comfort in what you have pales in comparison to when – not if, WHEN – you’re brought back, and you try to build trust again. It won’t happen. Mr. Rogers won’t allow you to do anything. You think you feel trapped now? Please. I implore you to be objective about this. Be smart.”

Wind was leaving your sails and you let it show. If he was true about telling Steve about the conversation, you needed him to think you had been discouraged from it. That would keep it secret and allow you to find – hopefully – another avenue to escape through.

“Fine,” you said stiffly, tears pricking your eyes. “At least I can still see my friends here.”

Tearing your arm from his grasp, you walked away from him, holding yourself.

Apparently, you were on your own. You could not in good faith put your friends in danger by involving them. Steve would go to them anyway, but they would not know a thing and he would have no proof they knew anything because it would not exist.

You could not fly. That would be one of the first and obvious places for them to check. You could not drive, at least not far. Steve had his phones hooked up to both of his cars and the blue tooth would be able to track the car’s location wherever you went. Which also meant you could not take your phone, putting you at more risk to be able to call for help if something happened.

Something came to mind. A train. You could not google anything on your phone or any of the laptops though. You would be going in blind to the station. But you would be on camera there too at the ticket booth. It would be easy for Steve to get a ticket booth worker to talk and tell him which route you had taken.

You could steal someone’s ticket; it didn’t matter where. And in return, leave them an envelope with cash in its place as an apology. You would need a light coat with a hood. It was almost September, the weather still way too hot for anything heavy. The light coat might even be too much, but what was a little sweat? Plus, it would help to cover your bump. You could leave Steve’s car at Grand Central – dispose of the key somewhere nearby. It would be a little bit of a walk, but you could walk to Penn Station. The Amtrak was there to get you out of the city. There was also shopping inside where you could buy said coat – you did not want to risk taking anything from here, it would be too easily recognizable.

A train. You felt hope bubbling inside at the prospect.


	9. Chapter 9

Steve was downstairs in the Avengers compound working on something with Bruce. He would not tell you what it was, but you had a feeling it had to do with their drugs. You had overheard him on the phone, which confirmed that they were involved with shady business. He had left you upstairs, letting you mill about on your own. It was nice to be out of the house. You had taken the opportunity to walk outside along the waterfront. It was tranquil by the water away from the building. You wished you had brought some bread to feed the ducks.

Instead of taking the elevator, you had elected to take the stairs back up to the communal areas of the facility.

When you arrived back in the main room, you were breathing heavier than normal. You were already getting winded far easier now, which was annoying. Bucky was in there now and he noticed your discomfort when you walked in. You tried to look normal, but he had already seen it.

“Y/N, here,” he said coming over to you and putting an arm around your shoulder to lead you to the couch. “What happened?”

“I took the stairs,” you told him, laughing uncomfortably. “Not boding well for at home… staircases and all.” You let him sit you down.

“You cut your hair,” you said to Bucky, giving him a small smile.

He ran his hand over his far shorter hair, returning the smile. “You like it?” You nodded. “I was getting tired of the upkeep. Far easier to manage in the shower now.”

Your own hand ran over your stomach – a habit that was becoming common – as you chuckled. “I can imagine. It does look suave though.”

“That’s what I am always going for,” Bucky said jokingly. “Do you want some water?”

“Sure.”

He fetched you some and the two of you made small talk until your breathing and heart rate was back under control.

“I do feel I should work out more. Steve has a gym. I just have only been using the treadmill.”

“You think anything more than a treadmill is smart the further you get into this?”

“People work out all the way up to giving birth,” you told him. “But I’m sure I’ll need to get the okay from Dr. Kamal before Steve agrees to any strength training or the like.”

You stood up to return the glass to the bar, Bucky watching you with caution. You walked past him, stretching out your legs. On the way back to the seating area, you passed the table. It was glowing around the edges and you frowned slightly. Curiosity got the better of you.

Your fingers ran over the table and as Bucky warned, “Y/N, don’t—" suddenly a hologram popped up. You jumped back seeing all these equations you did not recognize. Bucky sighed, pulling you away from it just as a door slammed down the hall and loud voices echoed down the hall to the room the two of you were in. Tony stormed into the room with Clint on his heel.

“I don’t give a shit who gets the blowback! I almost got fucking SHOT, if you happened to miss that!” Tony was practically shouting.

Clint started, “I get that, Tony, but—”

“Who touched that?” Tony barked, turning an accusing look at you and Bucky, cutting Clint off.

The way Bucky slightly stood in front of you, sheltering you from Tony’s melting glare was all he needed. He advanced on the two of you and Bucky pushed you even further behind him.

“The next time you put your hands on something that doesn’t belong to you, I’ll put a bullet between those pretty eyes!”

“Tony!” Bucky barked at him now, standing his ground. “She just touched the table as she was walking by. She wasn’t snooping. Back off!”

Straightening up, Tony had a stare off with Bucky, the tension in the room thick.

Tearing his gaze away from Bucky, Tony told you, “Sorry. I’m not frustrated with you.” He whipped around and looked at Clint again. “Who I am frustrated with is that idiot.” He clicked something on the table, turning it off, the hologram disappearing.

“You already killed him,” Clint pointed out. “I don’t know what more you want to do to him.”

“Defile the body? Chop it up?” Tony suggested wildly as he strode over to the bar. He grabbed a bottle of Wild Turkey and poured himself a healthy amount. He took a long drink before smacking his lips and leaning on the counter. The other three of you were watching him with unease, wondering what he was going to do next. After a few moments, he looked up and demanded, “Where the hell is Nat?”

“She was making sure the shipment got through,” Clint answered.

“I know that,” Tony said strained. “But where is she now?”

“Hopefully on her way back.”

“What happened?” Bucky finally ventured to ask.

Tony snarled, “Adrian was trying to get some revenge. We gave him a fucking chance to work for us and he decided that wasn’t going to work for him. Well, now his face is kicked the fuck in, thanks to yours truly. You know, I am ready to just wipe out the rest of his stupid little shit stain of a crew – his fiancé included because if that little bitch tries to squeal—”

“Tony,” Clint said sharply, catching his attention. “Y/N doesn’t need to hear shit like that.”

Waving at you wildly, Tony snapped, “She’s in it now. She’s gonna hear shit sometimes. Right, sweetheart?” He directed the last at you and your mouth fell open, unsure of what he wanted you to say.

“Um, yes?”

“Right. See, Clint? I’m sure Steve has said some shit in front of her too. It happens. I’ve done it to Pepper plenty of times. They’re the side pieces. Which is why his bitch needs to get gone. Now. She’s a liability.”

Bucky tried this time, “We can talk about that later. You just need to relax. Have some more whiskey.”

Tony shook his head at them trying to shut him up, but he did all the same, taking another large gulp of his whiskey.

You sat back down slowly, resting back on the couch, taking in what you had just heard. You knowing even the slightest about their operation made you a liability apparently. It made whatever Bryce said the other day truer: you would have the whole team after you if you tried to leave and they would want to find you because they would not want you to talk about anything. It compounded the risk of running away.

Tony refilled his glass and came over to the couch, sitting down near you. “You mind if I turn on the TV?” You shook your head and he chucked you underneath the chin. “Good girl. I just need to watch some people knock the shit out of each other. There was a fight card last night and I missed it.”

Natasha appeared, closely followed by Bruce and Steve. She looked upset and Tony held up his finger. She stopped, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Uh uh. The three here got me calmed down, stopping me from exploding my artificial heart. I need a few. Just tell me yes or no, did the shipment go through?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect. I will discuss the bullshit later. I need a little bit of time before we plot on the next move. Actually, if you have questions, Barton or Barnes can take you out into the hall and give you the basics of what I want to do. Y/N and I can sit in here and watch Holloway hopefully knock this joker out.”

You locked eyes with Steve and gave him a slight shrug, sinking back down into the couch. His hand rested on your shoulder as he leaned down to give you a kiss on the top of your head.

“I’ll be back then, love,” he said before following Bucky out of the room.

<> <> <>

‘This is going to be your favorite!” Yua announced.

“Is it from you then?” you teased.

Natalie and Yua had arranged a baby shower for you. When they brought up the idea, you had proposed to Steve it be done here at home. He was more receptive to the idea presented that way. You had pushed your luck, suggesting he should not be home while the party was going on, mentioning it was a baby shower, typically for the ladies. You believed he was relieved you were excited about the idea at all, extending it towards the idea of being a mother, because he agreed quite heartily.

He was not quiet about it to the team, and you found yourself having three more guests added to the list: Natasha, Pepper, and Wanda. You were surprised at Natasha, she did not seem the type to enjoy such a get together but you kept that to yourself. She had been enjoying herself well enough, passing Natalie, exchanging looks.

Your friends insisted on you staying upstairs while they decorated and only allowed you to come down once they were finished.

Yua smirked, “Maybe.”

You laughed in return, opening the gift, the one of many more to go.

A little while later, you managed to pull Natalie aside while everyone was distracted with passing out prizes for a game. She followed you away from the room and let you lead her to the bathroom. You closed the door behind the two of you and turned around quickly.

“Can I use your phone?”

“Sure,” Natalie said, looking at you curiously but handed it over.

Googling, you tried to see the time it would take if you were to follow through with what you wanted to do. In seconds, your hope was dashed.

It was three hours at least – and that was with good traffic – to Grand Central Station. There was no way you would be able to get there in time before Steve realized you were missing. Even if you managed to knock Bryce and Patricia out with sleeping pills, Steve would more than likely check in and see them unresponsive.

You numbly handed the phone back to Natalie.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, seeing the look on your face.

“It’s nothing.”

“Y/N.”

Tears welled up and you wiped at your eyes, shaking your head. “If I tell you it will wrap you into it and I don’t want that. I don’t want you to be unsafe.”

She grasped your shoulders and forced you to look at her. “Y/N,” she repeated. “What’s wrong?”

“I just…he – Steve – wants 5 or 6 kids,” you told Natalie tearfully. Her eyes widened in shock and you hissed, “I know!”

“He said that?”

You nodded. “I haven’t even had the first two.”

“Did he even ask you what you thought about it?”

You shook your head now. “Of course not.”

Natalie’s shoulders fell and you sighed heavily, wiping at your eyes again, “He loves me. I know he does in the form he believes it to be true. But it’s… it’s suffocating. I can’t eat anything not approved for my health by my nutritionist and the babies healths. I didn’t have any say in that, he made that decision for me. I don’t leave without him and if I want to, I have to tell him where I’m going so he knows where to go if something ‘goes wrong’ and he can find me quickly. I’m afraid to google anything that might be suspicious because I’m afraid he’s going to ask to check my phone. He hasn’t ever but the fear is there if he ever got suspicious, you know?”

Slowly, Natalie said, “No. I don’t know. that’s not normal, Y/N.”

“Right. And I mean, he forced me to move in with him, sell my apartment, he quit my job for me—”

“Hold on. He did that?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you wanted that.”

“Are you joking me? I told him I could work. I’m pregnant, not disabled I believe were my exact words. And he said he didn’t want me working and I was going to end up not working at all anyway if I was with him.” Natalie rose her eyebrows and you shrugged helplessly. “I…I wanted to leave. I asked Bryce – my security – first and he told me he wouldn’t help me and made me promise I wouldn’t try to leave. So, then I wanted to take a train. Somewhere. Anywhere. It would be hard to track a train route if I took someone’s ticket at the station rather than being on camera and buying my own. I could manage on my own. Find a church to take me in and I could work to make up for their hospitality. I don’t know. That’s why I wanted to see your phone. See how far away it was.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a plan, Y/N.”

You burst into tears and she immediately grabbed your shoulders. “Y/N, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s not rude, it’s true. I’m… fucked!”

“If you’re that miserable—”

“I’m not miserable all the time,” you cut in.

“But you want to leave.”

“Yes, but more so I want to be able to breathe! If I could just do that…” you breathed shakily. “If he gave me space, I would be satisfied. I would be okay being with him. I just don’t see it happening… and I hate it because I still want it to work as I want to run away at the same time.” Rubbing your stomach, you looked around the bathroom. Sniffling, you said, “All the baby gifts are so nice. I could make the best of this.” You cradled your stomach closer, and said, “You don’t have to say it. I know you warned me. I was just smitten… so very smitten. And he was so sweet. I didn’t care about the danger.”

Natalie pulled you into a tight hug, cradling you close, electing to stay quiet.

<> <> <>

Outside the bathroom window, Natasha ground her teeth. She had been doing rounds around the grounds, wanting to get air from the tittering women inside. The bushes had done enough to hide her from sight. She heard Y/N and Natalie speaking and gotten curious why they were both in the bathroom. When she was able to hear clearly, Y/N was talking about having to sell her apartment because Steve ‘forced’ her too.

Natasha left the bushes when they fell silent, careful to not make any noise.


	10. Chapter 10

“I gotta run,” Natasha informed Wanda quietly, pulling her aside.

“Is there a problem?” Wanda asked concerned.

“Not yet.”

“Okay?” Wanda said, cocking an eyebrow.

Natasha was not going to give her anything else at the moment before she talked to Steve. “It’s fine. Don’t let Y/N worry about me being gone. Help her enjoy the party.”

“Alright,” Wanda responded, and Natasha nodded, before turning on her heel and walking off quickly to make sure to be out of the house before Y/N and Natalie emerged from the bathroom.

On her way out the door to her car, Natasha texted Steve.

_I’m on my way to Tony’s. Don’t leave until I get there._

_Is there something wrong?_

_Not immediate. I’ll be there soon._

<> <> <>

Natalie pulled away from you after a while – she had to have let you cry for a good few minutes – and wiped at your tears. “Here,” she said gently, leaving you to go towards the linen cupboard. She pulled out a washcloth and grabbed a small handful of toilet paper too. You thanked her, sniffling, wiping at your tears before using the tissue to blow your nose. You were sure you looked cute with snot hanging out there.

“Look. What can you do? Realistically?” Natalie asked you quietly.

Your shoulders slumped and you whispered, “Nothing.”

“No, not nothing, Y/N. You can hold your chin up,” Natalie told you, her fingers pushing your chin up as she spoke. She paused before asking, “Are you willing to leave the babies behind?”

Chewing on your bottom lip, you pondered for a few seconds. You ended up shaking your head. “I… I thought so when this first all started out. But how can I leave two babies behind? They would financially be well taken care of, yes. But… I just can’t,” you said breathing shakily. “I don’t know if I could live with myself.”

“Well, I was only asking because I wondered if you did… if you thought Steve would leave you be. Even if you ran off.”

You shook your head again, giving a humorless laugh. “No, I don’t think Steve would leave me be. Bryce said he didn’t think Steve would kill me if I ran away. Which to me insinuates he would hurt or kill anyone else who tried to help me. I am hard pressed to believe that he wouldn’t want to kill me though. He’s not a man to wound, especially emotionally. Everyone talks to me like I’m… his property. That I’m carrying his property too.”

Solemnly, Natalie told you, “Some people treat others that way. That’s obsession, not love.”

“Or they’re all just misogynistic fucks. I mean… Pepper even told me that she dealt with it with Tony! He threatened to shoot me a couple weeks ago, by the way.”

“Excuse me?” Natalie demanded, staring at you in absolute shock.

There was a sharp knock at the door.

“Y/N?” Miriam called from outside the door. “Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’ll be out in a second,” you called back. To Natalie, you whispered, “Shit, we have been in for a long while.”

Natalie grasped your shoulders, “You go out there. I’m going to go upstairs and pack you a bag.”

“What?” you asked flabbergasted.

“You heard me. My cousin has a cabin in New Hampshire. I’m going to take you there and then we can figure out what we are going to do next.”

“I—” you tried to argue but Natalie shushed you.

“Go out there. Be with them.”

“Natalie, I can’t,” you hissed, thinking of Wanda and Natasha out in the living room. “You just told me I didn’t have a plan! Plus, Tony’s got technology everywhere and Steve won’t let me go. Did you miss me saying he would ki—”

“If we leave during this party while everyone is distracted, Y/N, they won’t know which direction we went.”

“Your license plate—”

Natalie covered your mouth and said, “We need to stop arguing about this and just do it. I’m not going to leave here without you. It has to be now.”

She stared deep into your eyes, challenging you to argue with her. You knew you were not going to be able to convince her to drop this idea, not with the fire burning in her eyes.

When she knew you were not going to say anything more, her hand fell. You swallowed thickly and turned to the mirror, wiping at your eyes one more time. “Good thing we already took pictures,” you muttered before going to the door and throwing it open.

Miriam’s brow creased seeing Natalie in there with you but you looped arms with her before she could say anything. “Sorry, I just needed to get some stress out. Poor Natalie had to endure that.” You threw a look over your shoulder at Natalie who was slow to leave the bathroom, mouthing her a thanks.

Your heart was pounding in anticipation.

<> <> <>

Natalie waited until Miriam and Y/N were out of sight before turning and going towards the entrance hall to the stairs leading upstairs. Quietly, she made her way up the stairs and searched around the second floor, looking for their bedroom.

There was a note on a door handle she passed by and she hesitated.

_Don’t open until after you open your gifts. Love you, Steve._

Curiosity got the better of her and she opened the door, thinking it was possibly their bedroom and Steve had left her something on their bed. Behind the door though laid the nursery. She swallowed sharply seeing balloons attached to the crib, no doubt a gift Steve had left in surprise for Y/N. It was oak grey, matching the dresser.

Quickly closing the door, Natalie continued on, trying to not think about the cameras that she was more than likely being filmed on right now and what Y/N had warned her about Steve’s wrath. Getting her friend to safety was more important than worrying about the what-ifs.

<> <> <>

Finding Natasha gone quelled your nausea slightly but not entirely. One less Avenger on the premises was cause for you to be more hopeful about Nataile’s rash plan working. Especially since Bryce was in the theater room, engrossed in a Michael Bay-esque film.

You grasped Yua’s arm as the group merged towards the patio where the cake was waiting and another few yard games. You asked her quietly, “You came with Natalie, right?”

“Mhm,” Yua affirmed, holding your arm back.

“When you two leave, I am going with you.”

“What?”

“Not so loud,” you whispered to her. “You just… if you don’t want to get involved, then get a ride home with Miriam. Please.”

“’Involved’? Y/N, what is going on?” Yua asked, stopping you and making you face her.

You leaned in and whispered, “I’m leaving. Natalie is taking me. She’s packing me a bag – hopefully getting herself some clothes too.” You were being vague, worrying still about the security cameras. “There is a lot of risk. Now, think about it. I need to go cut my cake and act normal.”

Without another word, you left her there, moving towards the table where the rest of the ladies were gushing over how beautiful the cake was.

<> <> <>

Steve was on Natasha as soon as she pulled up and got out of the car.

“Can we go inside?” she asked, staring up at him.

It did not seem like he wanted to wait because he rolled his eyes but stepped back and she moved around him, him on her heels.

“What happened?” Steve demanded as he followed her through the front door.

“Where’s Tony?”

“Why am I being dragged into this?” Tony drawled as she walked in from the hallway. He was on the couch in front of the flatscreen, arms sprawled along the back of the couch.

“Because it’s your man too.”

Tony was interested suddenly, sitting up straighter. Steve stood off to the side of the couch, waiting impatiently for Natasha to get to the point.

She met his eyes and asked seriously, “Has Bryce talked to you? About Y/N asking him for help to leave?”

Steve’s face pinched. “No,” he said sharply. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh boy,” Tony breathed out, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I heard her. Talking to her friend, Natalie, in the bathroom. I was outside and doing some rounds to get some air. Thought it was a little weird they were both in the bathroom. So, I got near the bushes and heard them talking about it. Y/N was going on about how she feels trapped—” Steve’s jaw clenched at this, not going unnoticed by Natasha. But she kept speaking anyway. “And how she wants it to work with you but doesn’t think you’ll ever let her breathe and have her own space. Said she knows Natalie warned her about you, but you were too sweet, and she didn’t care about the warning.”

Steve scoffed, hands coming to his hips. He sucked at his teeth, shaking his head.

“So, what about Bryce?” Tony asked impatiently.

“She said she asked Bryce to help her leave Steve,” Natasha explained. “And he wouldn’t help her and made her promise she wouldn’t try to leave. But it sounded like she had another plan. Something about taking a train and stealing someone’s ticket at the station so she wouldn’t be on camera at the ticket counter – presumably so you wouldn’t know where she was going. She said something outlandish about living at a church and taking them up on hospitality and working for them to make up for it. Which, Natalie to her credit, told her that was a dumb plan. And Y/N agreed. But she wanted Natalie in the bathroom with her to use her phone, again presumably, so you couldn’t see the search in her phone.” Natasha caught Steve’s eyes again and told him firmly, “When you said she was rattled when this all first started, she hasn’t settled, Steve. She’s a mess of nerves. And she definitely sounds like she’s willing to be impulsive and reckless about it.”

It was silent in the room, Steve’s fingers digging into his hips. His jaw was clenched so tightly Natasha thought of him cracking his teeth.

“That little, conniving _bitch_!” Steve growled, his hands falling to his sides and he began storming towards the hallway.

Natasha stepped in his path and he stopped, rearing up to glower at her, his fists clenched at his sides.

“Move, Nat,” Steve warned her in a dangerous voice.

“I came here specifically to tell you so you would not lose your shit in the middle of a party,” Natasha told Steve firmly. “So, can you do me a favor and respect that? Cool out and think?”

“I don’t think this warrants me cooling off and giving Y/N any sense of calm,” Steve returned, his voice rising. “She was going to leave me and take my children away from me, Nat!”

Tony chimed in from behind Steve, “I think the problem here is Bryce not telling you,” Steve craned his head to look back at him. Tony looked right pissed off, rivaling Steve. “Woman is hormonal, standing on shaky ground emotionally. Bryce has his head on right – or at least we thought he did. Him agreeing to not help her is working in his favor but he shouldn’t keep that shit to himself. He should have told you the moment it happened. Just making her promise to not do something isn’t going to do shit, especially if she’s promising him. What is he to her? Her bodyguard? Whoopee fucking doo.” Tony shook his head. “No, that’s fucked up. He had a duty to tell you.”

Steve’s cell phone rang interrupting the conversation, and he swore under his breath, pulling it out of his back pocket. He furrowed down at it before answering tightly, “Wanda?”

Natasha took a step closer, trying to hear her on the other end of the phone. Steve’s face fell for a moment, like the air had gotten kicked out of him.

He recovered quickly, demanding furiously, “What the _hell_ do you mean she’s not there?”

Tony was standing now, at attention. He was watching Steve nervously, thinking of a super soldier losing his shit and breaking shit in his house.

“How long?” Steve shouted, losing his temper. He shook his head furiously and snarled, “Twenty minutes doesn’t give them long to get anywhere. And why were you doing dishes? Where the hell was Bryce—never mind. You know what. Just stay there. Have Bryce and the security check the grounds again.”

He hung up, holding his cell in his hands tightly. Steve was trembling with rage, his hand threatening to crush his phone. Tony and Natasha were silent, waiting for him to react. He breathed in deeply, over exaggerated, turning on his heel to walk towards the counter. He placed his phone down, gingerly despite his anger. His hands planted, his fingertips digging into the counter like he wanted to tear chunks off.

“If she is not there…” he trailed off. Exhaling, he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. His hands came up behind his hand, trying to stop himself from breaking Tony’s countertop in half with his fist.

“The train stations,” Natasha suggested, keeping her voice steady.

A few more deep breaths and Steve had the calm about him to say, “Someone else needs to drive because I’ll probably rip that goddamn steering wheel off.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: As some of my midwest friends have poked fun at, a freeway to me is an interstate, like I5 and I90. A highway to me refers to state routes or highways with stop lights along it at certain spots. I know it’s not a huge deal but I like to explain cause it’s definitely regional and sets the scene of what I am thinking of when I’m writing.

“I need somebody, ANYBODY, to get in a car or something and get to Grand Central terminal right now.”

Steve was on multiple way call with the team that answered the phone, sitting in the passenger seat while Natasha sped down the freeway. Tony had separated from them, heading towards the Avengers facility where he could have more cameras which gave him more eyes. Facial recognition was granted at the facility grounds on a larger scale of satellites too unlike his house.

“You wanna tell us what for?” Rhodes asked perplexed.

“Y/N left,” Steve snapped. There was a chorus of murmurs from all ends of the phone call, generally ignored by Steve who was too hot headed to acknowledge their concern. “I don’t know where the hell she is going. But Nat heard her whispering to her friend in the bathroom about taking a train. To god knows where.

“Do we know it’s going to be Grand Central?” Sam inquired calmly.

“No, not for sure! But I want it covered. As soon as possible! They got a half hour head start or so from my house. Nat and I are going to Penn. That’s where the Amtrak is. Tony’s accessing surveillance, using facial recognition.

“What do you want us to do if we find her?” Bucky asked.

“Don’t hurt her,” Steve ordered.

“Well, no shit,” Bucky cut in, unable to hold back his sarcasm. “I meant, where do you want us to—”

“She’s with one – or two, I’m not sure – of her friends,” Steve interrupted, strained. “Try to make it as quiet as possible. I don’t want it all over the evening news. Just—get Y/N away from there.”

“What about her friends?” Clint pointed out.

“I’ll deal with them later,” Steve got out in a surly tone. “Call me if you find her.”

<><><>

You laid across the backseat of the car, examining your nails.

“I really don’t like you having no seatbelt on,” Natalie said for what felt like the tenth time since you had escaped past the gate of your house.

“I’ll sit up when my back hurts,” you responded, stretching one of your legs as far as you could towards the ceiling. You grunted when you felt a pull in your lower abdomen.

“We are out of the gate, Y/N. And away from cameras. We are on a highway.”

“There are still cameras. But I know. It’s been like an hour.”

You were tingling with anticipation, threatening to eat you alive. You half expected Natalie to slam on her brakes at any seconds because Steve landed in front of the car in the lane. You doubted though he would want to put you in danger and that could cause a huge accident.

Would not want to hurt his precious cargo, you thought to yourself darkly.

Yua sighed from the passenger seat and looked back at you around the seat. She had decided to come with the pair of you and had been filled in on the situation after you had successfully gotten through the gate. You almost snorted at the absurdity of the fact all you had to do was wear a hood and one of Steve’s baseball caps to shield your face and make sure to not make eye contact with the guards meandering around the gate. Holding the backpack in your lap had helped to hide your stomach.

“Y/N. Sit up. Please. Stop making Natalie get worry lines, it’s starting to stress me out. It’s not like they won’t be looking for Natalie’s plates in the cameras if they have access outside of New York.” You were sure Tony did. His company was worldwide. “I don’t think them seeing your face is going to make any difference. They saw you get in the car on the surveillance tapes at your house by now.”

You exhaled heavily, knowing she was right. You imagined Steve seeing the tapes and turning around to tear a door of his hinges, hurling it across the room. You would laugh at the imagery if it did not simultaneously terrify you. Sitting up with some difficulty, you patted Natalie’s shoulder who thanked you.

The two of them had turned their phones off – you had left yours behind. You were sure Tony would figure out how to track theirs but yours was definitely compromised. You did not even want it on you, choosing to leave it on the entrance table by the front door.

It was scary. You could not stop thinking about how angry Steve would be – was. It was present tense now for sure. He had to have figured out you were missing by now. Otherwise, Wanda, Bryce, and Patricia were completely inept, which you knew was not the case.

Staring out the window, you watched the trees go by trying to think about the nature walks you could go on without watchful eyes around the cabin. It lulled you into some sense of relaxation.

<><><>

Steve stormed through the terminal, his eyes watchful on the crowd for anything that screamed Y/N from behind or a profile. His eyes zeroed in on the back of a woman’s head and he changed course quickly, coming up to her, shoving his way through the crowd much to some people’s annoyance at being shoved aside. He grabbed her arm and whipped her around when he was on her.

She cried out in half fear and half pain.

It was not Y/N.

“Sorry,” he said not sounding sorry at all. “Thought you were someone else.”

She glared at him, rubbing her arm. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Steve bit back a comment, turning from her without a word.

“Hey, aren’t you Captain America?” someone asked him from a few feet away. That caught the woman’s attention, as well as others.

Steve shot the kid an annoyed look and said clipped, “Not right now, kid. Sorry. I’m busy.”

He took off again before anyone could say anything else, god forbid ask him for an autograph or a selfie. His heart was hammering, searching desperately. He came to a stop, staring out over the crowd. Hope she was here was dwindling fast. He felt like his chest was going to explode from the myriad of feelings coursing through him right now.

I’m not seeing her, Natasha texted him. He had sent her the opposite way from him, telling her to check the female bathrooms that direction. He was getting similar texts from the group at Grand Central too and he could not stand to look at his phone anymore, shoving it into his back pocket furiously.

He ran his hand through his hair, tugging on it near the ends in frustration. He took one more stroll down the terminal, scouring it to make sure he had not missed her. Natasha appeared and without a word went into the bathrooms to cover her bases.

When she appeared again, she was empty handed. She approached him slowly, with caution, his gaze burning into her.

“I shouldn’t have left the house,” Natasha said, shaking her head. She looked disappointed and guilty.

“You couldn’t have known it was going to be right then,” Steve said tightly. He had little patience for coddling someone else’s feelings right now but extended the gesture briefly because it was Nat. His face hardened, shaking his head slightly. “I’m gonna tell them I’m heading home to speak to that bumbling idiot I call my security guard.”

<><><>

Natasha had barely got the car into park before Steve threw the door open and made a beeline for the front door of his house. The door bounced off the wall with the sheer force he threw it open with. Natasha followed him, far more collected. She grabbed the door, closing it, eyeing the hole the doorhandle had made into the wall. She shook her head before following Steve towards the living room.

Bryce stood up from the couch on sight seeing Steve. Wanda did as well, far less stricken looking than Bryce though. She looked concerned.

“Did you—” she started to ask Steve, but he cut her off, all his rage radiating towards Bryce as he stormed in.

“How the _fuck_ did you let this happen?” Steve roared at Bryce.

“The front gate didn’t catch her—” Bryce tried to pass the buck onto the other men, but Steve was not having an ounce of it.

He was towering over Bryce now, Bryce trying to not fold in Steve’s shadow. “I don’t care about the front gate! She shouldn’t have even been able to get into the car!”

Blubbering, Bryce tried to say, “There were a lot of women, Mr. Rogers. She was starting to say goodbye to them all—”

“You didn’t think to be outside? To keep an eye on her? Not even for a second? That didn’t cross your mind?”

“I didn’t expect her to leave.”

“Now _that_ —” Steve snarled, pointing threateningly in Bryce’s face, causing him to flinch. “I find to be an _egregious_ lie!”

“S-s-sir?”

Steve moved closer if that was possible, his nose inches from Bryce’s. Bryce visibly gulped, trying to not break eye contact with him. Steve’s voice was dangerously low, “Do you have something to tell me, Bryce?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”

“Bryce. I am giving you one chance to be honest with me: Did Y/N ask you for help to leave me?”

Bryce’s forehead was covered in a sheen of nervous sweat. His eyes darted nervously to Wanda who was standing nearby, watching the scene unfold curiously. She did not move to help, and he was forced to focus back on Steve knowing Natasha would not help him under any circumstance. 

He licked his lips nervously and exhaled shakily. “Yes. But—”

He did not get to finish because Steve had taken a step back, cocked his arm back and socked him straight in the face, knocking him backward. Bryce yelped in agony, grasping at his nose as he laid on the ground, blood gushing from his broken nose. Steve unholstered his gun and Bryce saw, his eyes growing wide as saucers. His broken nose was quickly forgotten, holding up his hands in front of him as he pleaded for Steve to not do it, but his sniveling went unheeded. Steve unloaded half a round into his chest.

Steve’s hand shook now, and he lowered the gun slowly to his side. His eyes were absent of warmth, staring down at the man who he had entrusted his future wife and children’s safety to. Bryce’s eyes were still open in fear, blood trickling from his mouth as his head and arms slumped to the ground. His chest stopped moving in a matter of seconds, lying in a quickly forming puddle of red.

Rolling his shoulders back and cracking his neck, Steve replaced his gun, taking a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

“They could have gone _anywhere_ ,” he finally said tautly.

“Steve, I’m sorry,” Wanda offered, taking a few steps towards him.

“You weren’t in charge of watching her,” Steve responded, still not looking at the two women behind him.

The front door opened loudly down the hall and there were running steps, putting the trio on the defense quickly. Two of Steve’s security guards came into view, both out of breath. They both visibly relaxed seeing Steve still standing there, their eyes only flicking to Bryce’s body on the ground for a second. To their credit, they both did not blanch.

One offered, “Sorry for running in. We heard shots.”

Steve ignored her apology, beginning to walk. “Clean up the body and get rid of it. Now,” Steve ordered impatiently, moving past her.

“Where are you going?” Natasha asked, moving to follow him, Wanda in tandem.

“Back to the facility. It’s time to brainstorm and make a different plan,” Steve said over his shoulder.

<><><>

The cabin was two stories, an open floor plan on both floors. There was a wall shielding the top loft bedroom from view and a bedroom on the ground floor. Immediately, Natalie said the three of you could sleep upstairs since there was a queen bed and another twin bed. Yua pointed out that there was a back door right next to the other bedroom and you would be able to hear if someone came in there. Plus, people in horror movies always ran upstairs which ended in their demise. She stopped arguing when Natalie said there was a staircase from the upper deck outside the bedroom leading to the backyard.

“Wow, there are some CDs here,” Yua said flipping through a small case next to an entertainment center. “It’s like we are back in the 90s.”

“Hey, that entertainment console was top notch in the 90s. Don’t trash talk it,” Natalie joked.

“Gotta leave things people don’t want to steal since they use this as an air bnb,” you teased and Natalie pointed at you, acknowledging that.

Yua laughed, “They’re all burned CDs too. Oh, look. Top hits ’04. Oh, that’s past the 90s. Upgrading.” You chuckled as she pulled the CD out, opening the console. “Oh, my! And it’s a six disc! We could change albums whenever we want. Is there a remote? Oh, yes!” She chose five more random albums and put them in as well, closing it and choosing the original disc she had put in.

The first song started out and the three of you immediately made eye contact. “Oh my god. I have not heard this song in forever. A true lost Destiny’s Child gem,” Natalie said, unable to stop laughing. “Ooh, I put it right there, made it easy for you to get to…” she began to sing as she moved towards the kitchen to put the bags of food on the counter.

She had stopped at a mini mart near the bottom of the mountain to grab a good amount of food to hold you guys over. Yua and her had left you in the car to be able to cover the store quicker to leave as little time as possible staying stagnant in a parking lot. The whole time you had been on edge, pulling your hood as far down your face as you could while trying to keep a look out. Every car that drove by on the highway made the hairs on your arms stand up, praying it would not whip around and come back to you.

“If Mr. Brightside isn’t on this album, I’m going to be really disappointed. That was a true gem of my childhood,” Yua chimed in. She flopped onto the couch, stretching out. “Feels good to not be in the car. Hey, Nat, can you bring me one of my beers. Please?” She shot you an apologetic look. “Sorry, Y/N.”

“Just four more months,” you said lightly, touching your stomach as you sat down as well.

Yua reached over, caressing your stomach lightly. “Can’t you not drink while you’re breastfeeding too?”

“Don’t tell me that.”

“Sorry,” Yua snickered as Natalie came out of the kitchen holding a beer and a glass of wine.

She held it out to you, and you stared at her in bewilderment that she was offering you alcohol.

“It’s not rosé,” Natalie smiled. “It’s sparkling. A blush kind.”

“How nice of you,” you said, smiling in return. You took a small sip and said, “Hmm. It’ll do.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘thank you, Natalie’,” Natalie intoned, turning on her heel and walking back towards the kitchen.

“Thank you, Natalie,” you and Yua intoned back in unison.

“I’ll make dinner. What’s it gonna be? Frozen meal of mac and cheese or frozen meal of Salisbury steak?” Natalie asked, facing the two of you. “Or… there’s tater tots. Or pizza… and we could make a fruit salad on the side.”

“Thank god for the fruit,” Yua commented, grinning. “I say you make the pizza and fruit. Gotta pretend Y/N is still trying to be healthy somehow.”

Despite laughing, you did think of how Steve would react seeing you eating all this processed food, the same day you had cake no less. Touching your stomach again, you rubbed gently, thinking surely Steve was trying his damnedest to see you too.


	12. Chapter 12

Tony was pacing in front of the cameras he had up on the large wall when Steve entered the room. Bucky, Sam, Clint, and Rhodey were already down there with Tony, sitting or standing. The general feeling in the room was tension and it was permeating the air.

“Get anything from him?” Tony asked as soon as he caught sight of Steve.

“He didn’t know shit,” Steve said gruffly. “Not that I gave him much time to say anything past admitting he had known she wanted to escape. If he was going to help her, he would have driven her off the property himself and disappeared with her. He would not have stuck around afterward if he had assisted her in any way. He was not that daft.”

“I would beg to differ on that,” Natasha commented, coming to stop in front of the cameras, her eyes searching the screens. “Are you only focusing on New York?”

“Larger cities in the north east for now mainly,” Tony answered, coming to stand beside her. He pointed at the lower right corner of the screens. “I have it set up to follow the main tracks of the Amtrak across the country the longer time passes.”

Bucky came up to Steve and asked, “Her family?”

Steve shrugged, “Her parents aren’t alive. Didn’t mention anyone else really. She was an only child.”

“What about her friends? They could have family in other states.”

“I could look into that,” Clint said. “Facebook isn’t that hard to look through and people are always oversharing on that stupid app.”

“Speaking of her friends… if she says anything she’s heard from you, Steve, about the business, that’s not going to be good,” Rhodey said, looking grim.

Uncomfortably, eyes swept to Steve quickly and he shook his head. “I don’t think she’s concerned about that,” Steve said tightly. “She just… wanted space. And instead of asking, she does some impulsive, unsafe bullshit.” He was working himself up again, his hands resting on his hips tensely. “Absolute horseshit.”

Tony turned from the screens, taking a few steps towards him. Trying to reason with Steve and calm him down, he told him, “Look, Pepper did too when we first got together. It takes a while for them to adjust from the hustle and bustle they were used to, but they do eventually. Unfortunately, Y/N had persistent friends. Stupid, persistent friends at that. But we are going to find her. You’re gonna get your kids back and her.” Tony held up his hand as an idea came, “And on that note, you need to register with the putative father registry.” Steve’s brow stitched in confusion. Tony laughed and said, “Trust me. I did it when I was younger because I was a little loose and needed to know if any of the women I was with – and I was for sure the father – were going to do anything with the kid that would blow back on me. There’s a notice to claim paternity form for a child born out of wedlock. With that, you’ll be notified of any court proceedings, such as adoption or guardianship changes.”

Steve’s jaw clenched at this and Tony said, “I don’t think that’s out of left field that might happen.”

“I’d love to see her try,” Steve said darkly, a deep scowl on his face.

Tony had to smirk at that ferociousness. “Hmm, me too. And good thing about this is that she won’t be notified that you registered. You know, not that she would get a notification anyway because she is AWOL, and it would go to her old address. It also doesn’t need to get notarized.”

He clapped his hands and turned to look at everyone else. “So, we’ll keep these on here. Like I said, the Amtrak cameras are going to go down the three main tracks. If it happens she’s gone for longer, we will start scanning outwards of the northeast on the other cameras. Barton, you got the familial ties. Man, big notes if the family is in a bordering state. Oh, I did get access to Natalie and Yua’s phones, but they are unfortunately turned off. Smart cookies. But if they turn them on again, it’ll light up on this laptop—”

“I’ll watch it,” Natasha volunteered.

Tony nodded in acknowledgment. “Unfortunately, we can’t put out a look out on the license plate because well… it’s Natalie’s car and it’s not stolen if she’s driving it.” He sighed and shrugged, “The rest of us… just on standby I suppose until we get something.”

“Do you want me to handle the meeting tonight with the union?” Rhodey asked.

“I forgot about that. Thank you for remembering,” Tony said appreciatively. “So, yes. And don’t let them try to bully you into giving them a bigger cut. Our deal is set, they just need to give us the money from the trade.”

“Do you have the surveillance video? Of Y/N leaving?” Steve asked him suddenly.

“You sure you wanna watch that?” Tony asked, skepticism lacing his tone. “I don’t need you punching a hole through these screens or anything.”

“No, I want to see it,” Steve said. “I want to see what she left with. Make sure she just didn’t hop in a car without anything.”

“Alright,” Tony said, still sounding uncertain. He walked towards another laptop and opened it, working to pull up the video.

Steve was there behind him, looming. He sat in the chair in front of the laptop, watching Tony rewind to the part he wanted to see. It stopped as the women started coming out of the house. Steve leaned forward, his eyes zeroed in on where Y/N was standing saying goodbye to everyone. He watched until it was just Yua with her and then Natalie came out of the house, a duffel bag over her shoulder and a hoodie and hat in hand. She threw it into her car and they moved quickly to put the coat on Y/N and get her into the backseat of the car. She was adjusting the hat and pulling the hood up as Natalie pulled away.

Tony was right. All Steve wanted to do was grab the laptop and smash it repeatedly on the table to try to quell some of the white-hot rage exploding inside, thinking if Bryce’s dumbass had just been outside, they would have never been able to even get her into the car in the first place. And how Natalie had managed to not be stopped in the house by him made him even angrier if possible. The giant oaf had been watching a movie Wanda told him.

He held it together though, keeping his hand steady as he reached up and closed the laptop with a slight snap but not too hard.

“Well, at least she’s got some clothes I guess,” he said to no one in particular. He pushed the chair back with a loud squeak. “I need to go on a run.”

<><><>

“And what? Go back to the city and wait for Steve to find me and beat the crap out of me until I give him information?” Yua asked seriously.

Your mouth fell open slightly at her bluntness. You had asked Yua what she was planning on doing past this as the three of you sat on the back porch of the cabin in the moonlight. When you had suggested going home, she had rose her brows in surprise before saying what she had.

She noticed the look on your face and apologized, “Sorry. That’s just… what’s going through my mind. Filter is a little gone by now.” She held up her fourth beer can sheepishly.

“I don’t think it’s far from the truth,” you said quietly. “So, you’re smart for worrying about it.” You shifted in your seat and admitted, “Steve doesn’t exactly sleep much either. So he’s got more time in the world than most.”

“Insomnia?” Natalie asked.

“No. He doesn’t need to. He would fake it a lot of the time… you know, just to lay in bed with me during the night.”

“That’s kind of romantic,” Yua said and Natalie shot her a piqued look. “What? It is!”

“Or creepy because he wanted to be next to her all the time,” Natalie retorted.

“I think it was a little bit of both. It’s not like he wouldn’t hear me get out of bed even if he was in his study or somewhere else in the house, so it’s not like being right next to me would have made much of a difference in the long run,” you muttered, picking at the blanket. “But, he enjoyed it I think. Lying in bed with me. Snuggling me while I slept. He’d watch TV quietly too.” You chewed on your bottom lip, thinking of how you had enjoyed those moments too, waking up with him there, warm in his embrace. Admitting that out loud though was too hard; like it was fake that you had asked for help.

“Good thing light doesn’t bother you when you sleep. Honestly, I’m jealous of your ability to just fall asleep wherever,” Natalie said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Soaking it up while I can,” you said, giving a halfhearted smile.

“Where are we going to go though? Seriously? We can’t exactly go back to our apartments for our things. I’m afraid someone would be watching,” Yua said and you admired her ability to think ahead like that.

“We could order a moving service. Have them store our things in a storage unit outside NYC. Then after a substantial amount of time, have it shipped to wherever we move to,” Natalie suggested before she sighed heavily. “How am I going to get a good recommendation for a job by just quitting?”

“You could call and tell Brett the truth. Well, not who we are running from, don’t want to get anyone else involved, plus you know… they are already going to be mad about Y/N leaving with secrets. So no need to incriminate them when they’re already expecting it. On the off chance they do find us, not having gotten them in trouble with the law will probably bode well for us. But anyway, you know… tell Brett that you’re helping a friend escape an abusive partner.” Yua suggested. The two of you were staring at her in astonishment and she shrugged. “What? That’s what I was going to do with my boss. I can work from home completely. I already do it half time. He just needs to mail me a laptop and we already have WiFi here. Thank god, I would die without Netflix.”

“You astound me sometimes,” you told her, a wide smile on your lips. And it was quickly replaced by tears of gratitude and she reached for your hand, grasping it tightly. “No, it’s fine. I’m just… overwhelmed. I didn’t want you guys to have to uproot your lives for me.”

“We’ve been friends for a decade. Plus, it’s not like I have anything going for me back there anyway except a high paycheck and a string of hard dicks following behind me like dogs and I can get that somewhere else,” Yua responded, taking a swig of her beer as you and Natalie laughed. She gave your hand one more squeeze before pulling away.

“Plus, New York was getting a little tired anyway,” Natalie chimed in. “I’ve wanted to move. Not ideally like this but… I think we can make the best of it.”

Nodding, you said, “We can try.”

You suddenly stilled, your fingers digging slightly into your abdomen.

Yua sat up quickly, “What? What’s wrong?”

“I… I think one of them just kicked,” you said, a slow smile spreading across your face. The two of them immediately relaxed. You shot Yua a look and asked, “Is that too early?”

‘No, that sounds right on time,” Yua said. “Especially for your first one.”

Looking down at your abdomen, you smiled again softly this time. You tried to will them to move again, imagining them sleeping there. You wondered what they were dreaming about.

<><><>

Steve thanked Tony for bringing him the sandwich he had placed in front of him, taking a large bite. He was and had been planted in front of the surveillance screens for a long while, only getting the minimal amount of sleep he required and only when someone else was there to watch while he was out. Rhodey had just been watching with him and got up to stretch his legs, also thanking Tony for bringing the sandwiches.

A ring cut into the silence and Steve swallowed before picking up his phone. He saw the number on the phone, recognizing it as Dr. Kamal’s office.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Rogers?” A voice said on the other end of the phone.

“Yes?”

“I am calling from Dr. Kamal’s office. It looks like Y/N has an appointment right now and we were wondering if you were on your way…?”

“Shit,” Steve swore under his breath and said, “No, no we are not on the way. I’m sorry. It completely slipped my mind to call and cancel.”

“Would you like to reschedule? There’s an opening later in the day, there was another cancellation. Or we can look—”

“Look, I’m going to be honest,” Steve cut in. “I don’t know where she is.”

“O-oh,” the assistant said on the phone, stammering a bit at that information. “Like today or…?”

“I haven’t seen her for days,” Steve clipped. “She ran off with her friends. I’m not sure to where. I have not had contact with her. So, I can’t make an appointment because I don’t know when I’ll find her or if she’s coming back.”

The assistant said slowly, “Um, well, I suppose then give us a call when you do know.”

“Will do,” Steve muttered before hanging up the phone.

Steve let out a frustrated sigh, slamming his phone down on the counter. His mind was racing thinking about Y/N missing a check up and something being wrong with the babies, with her, or both. He hated not having control of the situation and not being confident she was being kept safe by him.

He looked to Rhodey and Tony. “It’s time to report her missing.”

“Steve, she’s not missing. The cops won’t—” Rhodey started to say.

“I don’t need the cops. If we get her face out there, someone might call.”

“And if that someone is a cartel or something? Saw her face, kidnaps her or all three of them and then demands ransom?”

Steve shouted, “Then I’ll fucking pay it, Rhodey!”

Rhodey closed his mouth and shot a look at Tony, who merely shrugged in return. Rhodey sighed, knowing that Tony would be acting the same way if it was Pepper who had run off on him and would not be garnering any support to dissuade Steve from it from him.

<><><>

Yua came into the cabin quickly, tossing her bags down, startling you and Natalie watching a movie. She stood in front of the TV, blocking the view. “We got a problem.”

“What?” the two of you demanded in unison.

“Your face is all over the place on one of the news channels. I saw it at the mini mart behind the counter.”

Natalie scoffed, “How? Are they saying she’s missing?” Yua nodded and Natalie let out a frustrated noise. “Aren’t those supposed to drop if no foul play is expected? Like… they can easily draw conclusions that you ran off on your own accord. It’s clear in the tapes I’m sure!”

“Money,” Yua said darkly. “They’ll be able to keep up advertisements about it forever probably with all the money they have. Probably banking on everyone wanting to do a favor for Captain America. Who wouldn’t want to be in his debt for a favor? Plus, they’re also playing the ‘she’s not mentally competent’ card.”

“What?” you asked shocked, feeling like you had gotten socked in the stomach.

“You can’t be serious. Just because she’s pregnant?” Natalie demanded.

Yua said nothing which was answer enough.

“How will I go to a hospital?” you asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

Natalie assured you quickly, “You can use an alias when they admit you. And when we bring you in, we will have a hood on and a hat, just like when you left. Hopefully there won’t be a lot of people in the ER. Upon discharge, your real name would be attached to the records but under HIPAA you’ll be protected.”

Yet, HIPAA could not protect you from someone who desperately needed money really.

“But… won’t someone turn me in to Steve?” You could not keep the worry out of your voice.

“We don’t know that for sure,” Yua said gently. “And I don’t think it’s something you should worry about.”

Squeezing your hands together, you focused on your breathing, trying to remain calm and push the thought from your mind. Your birth was still far enough off that hopefully it would die down a little.

“Have you thought more about adoption?” Natalie asked you gently.

You nodded, “Yeah. Can I though if I am not a resident of the state?”

“You can surrender a child – or children, in your case – up to the hospital within 72 hours in most states. I checked,” Yua said.

“Good,” you said, nodding. It hit you suddenly and you asked panicked, “You turned your phone on?”

Yua shook her head and said, “I asked the guy at the station to check it out for me. Slid him an extra five dollars while I went to call my mum on the pay phone, let her know I’m okay. He was confused but he did it.” You relaxed hearing that, as did Natalie. Yua ventured, “Are you sure that’s what you want to do? Adoption?”

You swallowed thickly, avoiding eye contact. The two of them were quiet, waiting for you to figure out how to answer. “I’m not sure,” you whispered, breaking the silence.


	13. Chapter 13

A branch snapped out in the woods and you turned quickly towards the noise. It was dark outside still, the sun just starting to rise. You had been unable to sleep since 3:30am and instead of tossing and turning that could wake Yua up, you had come out onto the upper balcony with a book and a blanket.

The only sound you heard now was your heart pounding in your ears, worried that you were going to see a shadow step out from behind the trees in the shape of Steve’s broad shoulders.

But the woods were quiet, no looming figures. Slowly, you relaxed, the tension leaving your muscles. You could not see anything, so you nestled back down, opening the book again. After a few minutes, the sound was forgotten, and you were immersed in your book.

When you finally came back inside, Yua was up by then. You walked quietly by Natalie’s still sleeping form and made your way down the stairs carefully. Yua was already at the sink making herself some coffee. She eyed you as you walked into the kitchen.

“God, look how big you are,” Yua said groggily, eyeing your stomach.

“Good morning to you too. And yes, I can feel it,” you jested. “26 weeks.”

She laughed, “I mean honestly. Since this all started out… it’s like you swallowed a volleyball. It just hits me sometimes, still catches me off guard.”

“Soon to be a basketball, I’m sure.”

“Or bigger.”

“Probably bigger,” you admitted, grabbing a glass to get yourself some water.

“Well, you’re not that size yet. So, where is my breakfast? Cause you look like you’ve been up for a while. Why isn’t it ready?” Yua joked.

Yawning, you said, “Well, ma’am, I was actually going to go back to bed after I got something to drink. I’ve been up since 3:30. I couldn’t sleep. And now it’s catching all up to me. But if you would like, I could make you eggs.”

She waved you off, “I was just kidding. Go back to sleep. It’s still early enough! Do you want me to put a plate of food in the fridge for you for whenever you do wake up?”

“That would be nice,” you said before taking a large gulp of the water. You placed the half empty water glass back on the counter and said, “I’ll have that later too. Don’t want to drink too much at one time. The babies have declared a competition on who can kick my bladder the hardest.”

<><><>

Back in New York, Clint looked way too proud of himself as he strode into the room, but it caught Steve’s attention because that could mean only one thing. And that thing was going to bode well for him.

He was halfway out of his seat as Clint approached, a wide grin tearing at the sides of his mouth.

“I think I got it,” he said, throwing the few pictures he had printed out upstairs on the desk in front of Steve. Steve sat back down, pulling the photos towards him eagerly. “I saw that one of Natalie’s cousins had some photos up in the woods. I couldn’t get a location on them because I wasn’t friends with him. So, I got Shuri to make up a hack for me to gain access to an account. I chose one of the aunts, disguising it as a money scheme – she fell for it, clicked on the link. I was able to gain access to her account and was able to access more of the photos on his page. He’s got a cabin in New Hampshire.”

Steve was looking at the photos of the family outside their cabin.

“If she isn’t on the trains,” Clint said, excitedly. “Where are we now with the cameras? The west coast? We should have seen her by now if she was on the Amtrak.” He pointed eagerly at the pictures and said, “This might be it. It wouldn’t cost them anything to stay in and it’s probably secluded. It’s not too far but it’s far enough out of state.”

<><><>

Wanda was leaning back on the couch, flipping through a magazine. She had been watching the cameras for most of the early morning, but Tony had arrived around 6:30am, wanting to try different locations so she got up and left, giving him the space he needed.

The phone on the desk rang nearby, drawing her attention instantly, and she sat up, craning her neck to look at it. The phone was the number they had given out on the ads to call if anyone had any information on Y/N’s whereabouts. Tony’s gaze was locked on it too and before he could react, she was there, picking it up.

“Hello?”

“Hi, I’m calling about the missing persons ad.”

Wanda’s breath caught for a moment before she breathed, “Yes?”

“For Y/N Y/L/N.”

“Yes,” Wanda said more impatiently.

“Saw a woman like the photo at one of the cabins up here as I was on a walk real early this morning, right as the sun was coming up. She was sitting on the porch, very pregnant. I didn’t get a great look at her, didn’t want to gawk, you know. Plus, I think I was on their property, so I was probably trespassing, but I was following a doe—”

“Where was it at?” Wanda asked, cutting him off in the politest voice she could muster.

<><><>

“Steve!” Wanda called, taking the stairs by two. Steve called from the community room and she walked briskly, practically breaking into a jog. When she entered the room, she saw Clint, Sam, and him were looking at some photos on the table. Tearing her attention away from that, she said in a rush, “We maybe got something. A man named Will called about it, saying he thinks he saw Y/N.”

“In New Hampshire?”

“Y-Yes?” Wanda said completely confused at how he knew that.

Clint looked beside himself and Steve demanded, “Where at? Did you get a location?”

Wanda told him the address and Steve pulled his phone out, typing it into the maps app. He slammed his hand down on the desk in triumph, standing quickly. He thrust the phone into Clint’s hands. Sam was trying to peer over Clint’s shoulders to get a look too.

“That’s the same damn cabin,” Steve exclaimed, hardly able to contain his excitement. Wanda took notice of the pictures now, leaning over the table to look at them herself.

“Are we going now?” Sam asked just as Steve breezed past him. His eyes swept to Clint and said, “I guess so then.”

“Ha, teamwork,” Clint smiled, squeezing Wanda on the shoulder encouragingly as he walked by, rushing to follow Steve.

<><><>

The team was quick in their assemble upon arrival, Bucky and Natasha having to travel to get there which set Steve on edge because he had been ready immediately in his black suit, anxiousness coursing through him. He was pacing in front of the facility, having a hard time containing the hope blooming. His eyes were set on the tree line, wanting to just get into the car and drive to the address, scoop Y/N up and bring her back home.

He was not going to make the same mistakes he had that had let her slip through his fingers. If he could help it, she would not step foot off his property without him again. He would make sure she would learn that lesson when he got her home.

Tony met him at the edge of the entrance patio, not suited up. He was staying behind to monitor from there and he surprised Steve with a small drone, holding it out to him.

“You should not go in there guns blazing before you get sights on her or something to be absolutely sure. Use this. You don’t need to be barging into some random pregnant person’s cabin. Not a good look, not good press. Especially since you’ve got it out there now that you are looking for her. This drone is quiet, but it’s not silent so don’t fly too close or they’ll hear it and it’ll blow your whole covert cover.”

“You mean hovering above the place in a plane isn’t going to do that?”

“You’re not taking a plane, jackass,” Tony retorted, and Steve smirked in response. “Park down the road. You can go in on foot.” Steve thanked him, taking the drone. Tony ran his eyes up and down Steve and asked, “Was it really necessary to get up in the suit?”

“Can’t exactly show up in slacks. Just in case things get squirrelly,” Steve responded.

“’Squirrelly’,” Tony chortled. “Y/N will hardly be able to run.” Steve’s only response to that with a slight smile of acknowledgement. Tony stepped closer and said, “I got something else too. Of course, they say it doesn’t exist because the general public already has an issue with frothing at the mouth with conspiracy theories of the government tracking them. People honestly suffer from grandiosity in this country.” He noticed the impatient look on Steve’s face and apologized, “Sorry. Soap box. How do you feel about a GPS chip?” Steve’s eyes widened in surprise and Tony back tracked quickly. “Right. We can talk about that when she gets back home, safe and sound. I’ve just wanted to try out the new model and she seems like the perfect candidate, perfect circumstance. We’ll chat when you’re back. Don’t forget.”

Tony clapped Steve on the shoulder before walking back towards the door to the elevator.

<><><>

The trip up north was taking longer than Steve wanted it to, his fingers drumming impatiently on his thigh as he watched the trees go by. The thought that Y/N would somehow get tipped off and bolt before he got there was eating away at him. He was watching his phone anxiously, seeing them get closer and closer to where the cabin should be.

When Clint pulled off on the highway at what should be the end of the road that would lead to the cabin, Steve threw the door open and stepped outside. He was ready to let the drone go, flying it towards the direction of where the cabin was in a matter of a few moments, the only pause in the effort being from the drone having to start up. Steve was watching the viewing screen of the drone with intensity as it hovered over the trees, keeping an eye peeled as he followed the gravel road. The rest of the team was waiting around the SUV. Bucky leaned against the side, tapping his foot, trying to expel some of the pent-up adrenaline that everyone was garnering, knowing this needed to be executed without injury or incident.

The cabin was there at the end and Steve leaned forward in anticipation seeing the car.

“That looks like the car model,” Tony said over his earpiece. He was able to access the drone’s camera was well back at the facility. “Zoom in a bit to the license plate.” Steve did as he asked and Tony breathed, “Bingo.”

“Alright,” Steve said far more calmly than he felt. “That’s good enough for me.” He walked back towards the open back door of the SUV, walking up and placing the screen just inside. “The cabin is about half a mile away. Clint, stay here with the car and be ready to come up when we are ready to go. I don’t want Y/N to have to walk back down the driveway. Nat, Sam… you’re with me at the front. Buck, take the back of the cabin. Don’t shoot anyone unless I tell you to.”

“Taking the fun out of things,” Bucky halfheartedly joked.

<><><>

Stretching out on the bed, your toes curled. A sigh of contentment left your lips as your eyes opened, blinking away your sleep. When your vision focused, you saw the clock said it was almost 11:00am. You had managed to fall back asleep around 7:00am and you felt better now that you had gotten some more sleep. You could barely detect Yua and Natalie speaking in low tones, more than likely trying to avoid waking you up.

The serenity was shattered at the loud bang from on the first floor and you heard Yua scream in alarm. You sat up with difficulty just as the door from the balcony burst open. You jolted to the side, holding your stomach protectively.

Your heart rate slowed only for a moment upon recognizing the man who burst in was Bucky. When his cerulean eyes landed on you, gun pointed in your direction, your heart rate blew past normal, your breath quick.

“Bucky?” you got out in a gasp.

He relaxed ever so slightly, his eyes softening at the sight of you. His gun was no longer pointed at you, hanging at his side now. You did not miss the uptick of his lips, satisfaction flooding his face. But he still stayed on alert, ready to raise his weapon again if needed.

You sat up straight slowly, despite the commotion downstairs, keeping eye contact with him. Getting to your feet you tried to drown out the sounds of shouting downstairs, focusing only on him. His eyes flicked to your stomach, causing your hands to clench tighter around it and he made eye contact with you again.

“You can let me leave,” you said to him, your voice shaking.

Bucky’s laugh was humorless. “Y/N. Sweetheart, c’mon.” He was chastising you for even suggesting it with that tone.

“Buck?”

The sound of his voice rolling up the stairs made you freeze to the spot.

“I’ve got your doll in my scope. She looks good, Steve,” Bucky called back down towards the ground floor.

The sound of his foot on the bottom stair made you flinch. His footfalls were heavy, each step putting another nail in the coffin of your freedom. Your eyes flicked towards the open door and Bucky gave you a disappointed look, taking a step back towards it. He shook his head and you tore your eyes away from him, eyes fixated on the stairs.

He came into view quick, his height surpassing the staircase railing long before Yua or Natalie’s would. The same time elation flew through his features upon seeing you, you felt dread course through your veins. He was geared up, like he was going into a fight. Apparently, he did not underestimate the three of you.

Steve was a foot from you now, his gaze piercing and you were too afraid to take your eyes off him. There were a few moments of silence before he said quietly, “I admit, you have some loyal friends down there. They remind me of Buck.” You said nothing and he asked harshly now, “What did you think this was going to accomplish though, really, Y/N?”

You sucked in your bottom lip, unable to form a sentence in your frightened state about what he was there to do besides take you back.

“Answer me.”

Stammering, you said, “I… I just…” You were embarrassed he was shaking you up so bad. You had been in such a haze, hoping beyond reason that the three of you would eventually be able to settle down and it would blow over. The longer you had stayed away, the more the doubt it could work had been overshadowed by that terrible misleading feeling of hope.

Steve’s expression softened seeing you tripping over your words. He stepped closer and you instinctively stepped back. His lips formed into a thin line, stopping his advancement. “Y/N, doll, please. I want what is best for you. All I want is to take care of you. You worried me, doll. You worried me a lot. Do you know what it felt like to not know where you were? If you were safe? If the children were safe? Can you imagine how utterly upset you made me? How betrayed I felt when I realized you were gone? I leave to let you have a party with your friends, to give you space with them.” You almost flinched at the phrasing, like he had taken the words right out of your mouth. If he noticed, he did not show it. He continued on, “I leave a gift behind for you to find, something I built for you and the babies, and how do you repay me? You left. Without a word. Like I didn’t matter. Did you even see the gift?”

“No,” you whispered.

“Of course you didn’t. You didn’t care enough to look. You were only concerned with yourself. Out of everyone in the world, I didn’t think it would be you that would betray me like this. You told me you loved me.”

Heat rose to your cheeks as your eyes glistened with tears. He sounded deeply hurt, wounded. You could see it in his eyes.

“I can forgive you, Y/N. Trusting you is something else entirely. I don’t think that’s an option right now. But… I can forgive you. You just have to come back and be good.”

You averted your gaze, your chest tightening at his order.

Steve closed the space between you, and you did not move away this time. He hooked his fingers underneath your chin, tipping your head up. “It’s me…” Steve told you as his eyes hardened, and he warned gravely, “Or nobody.”

You did not have to imagine all the guns pointed at your friends downstairs. You either left with them both dead and back with Steve. Or left with them both alive and with Steve. Either way, he had you enveloped back to him. The degree of guilt is what you were choosing, that’s what he was giving you.

You were taking too long to answer.

Steve looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Bucky. Bucky started walking towards the staircase where he could look down on the living room.

“Steve, don’t—” you choked out.

“I want to hear you say it.”

“You’re scaring me.”

“Good.”

You let out a strangled noise before you got out in between tears, “I won’t ever try to leave you again, I swear. I’ll stay home for you. I’ll take care of the twins. I’ll do what you ask, I’ll listen, like I promised. I’ll be happy.”

“Were you ever?” He asked coldly.

“I w-was,” you said shakily, nodding. Nodding to convince yourself, remind yourself that you had been. “I was, really.”

“And what changed that, hmm?”

“You… you locked me away in the house.”

His lips twitched at the accusation and you feared you had made a misstep, fearing for Yua and Natalie. He did not make a move though except to say, “And why did I do that?”

He wanted you to say what he believed. He wanted you to believe it too. The tears were fat rolling down your cheeks as you whispered, “Because… you wanted to keep me safe.”

“That’s right, doll,” Steve breathed easier, smiling. His fingers caressed your face. “That’s exactly what I was doing. And you pulling this little stunt proved my gut instinct was right, didn’t it? You need protection, especially from yourself. You are impulsive and don’t think about the long-term repercussions of your actions.” His hand came to rest on your abdomen, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me, doll. I want you to just come home and let me take care of you. That’s what’s going to happen. Right?”

“Yes,” a voice that sounded like yours said; it was like you were outside your body. “Yes, I want that.”

“That’s what I thought,” Steve said, leaning forward and giving you a long kiss on your forehead.

“My friends?” you choked out.

Steve pulled away from you and smirked at you. “Hmm, maybe you can be concerned with more than yourself. Maybe I was too harsh there for a moment… what about your friends?”

“Please don’t hurt them. Please let them leave and go back home unharmed.”

He exhaled heavily and asked seriously, “And why should I do that?”

“Bucky would help you if you asked.” Bucky turned his head towards the pair of you and you tried to pretend like you did not notice his gaze. “It’s not their fault. I asked for help. It’s my fault. They shouldn’t be punished for my mistake. Please don’t make them pay for my behavior.”

Steve looked contemplative and you waited with bated breath, hoping he would react positively to your display of holding yourself liable. He wanted you to beg and you were giving it to him.

Over his shoulder, he finally ordered, “Let the ladies grab their things and get out of here. They’re safe… as long as Y/N continues to behave.” You opened your mouth to protest but he cut you off by pressing a button on his earpiece. “Barton, we’re ready. Come on up.”

He grasped your arm and you tried to yank your arm away from him. He was far too strong and jolted you to him. “Don’t go messing this up now, Y/N. You were doing so well. Don’t make this harder for me than it has to be to get you in the damn car. You got what you wanted with your friends; you just need to uphold your side of the bargain.”


	14. Chapter 14

The ride home was uncomfortable. Not space wise, you had enough between Steve and Bucky in the middle row of seats in the SUV. No, it was uncomfortable because everyone was going on about their business like they had not just hijacked you from a cabin. Bucky and Steve were both on their phones, sending e-mails or checking documents. Clint was driving, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel to the music. Sam was staring out the window, watching the scenery go by. You could not see Natasha behind you, but you were sure she was as relaxed as the rest of them.

Steve brought his phone up to his ear at one point and you heard on the other end, “Murdock Birth Center.”

“Yeah, I need to make a check-up appointment with Dr. Kamal,” Steve stated. You remembered you had had an appointment then and felt a pang of guilt. “As soon as possible please. For Y/N Y/LN. Hmm. Yeah, that will work. I’ll be sure to have her there.” He shot you a look and you averted your gaze. He thanked the person before hanging up.

You felt him still looking at you for a few moments and you turned your head towards Bucky’s window to avoid looking at him.

They did not take you home though, you went back to the facility. Questions itched but you were thinking that you merely needed to leave the SUV behind and get into his car for him to take you home. Steve helped you get out of the car, steadying you when your feet hit the cement. His arm came up to wrap around your shoulder, guiding you to towards the shade of the overhang outside the front door.

“Stay here,” he ordered you.

You did not get to respond before he turned and walked towards where the other Avengers were gathering further away. He was speaking to them and there were general nods and warm smiles.

Probably thanking them for helping to get you back, you thought sourly.

Movement caught your sight and Tony was coming out of the front door, looking suave as ever. You wondered why he insisted on wearing a suit vest and tie when he had nowhere to be. His gaze fell on you and he rose his eyebrows, smirking, in greeting. You forced a small smile, hating the smug look on his face. He caught Steve as Steve was leaving the group and whispered something to him. Steve met his eyes and hesitated before nodding. A few more words were exchanged before Tony let go of Steve’s arm and Steve continued on his way to you.

His arm came around your shoulder, guiding you again towards where his car was parked.

<><><>

You stood in the middle of yours and Steve’s room, staring around at the pristine furniture and unwrinkled bed. It was spotless, nothing out of place. Nothing changed since you had been gone for the week and a half. You thought to yourself Steve had probably barely been in the room anyway, spending most of his time searching for you.

The room was not homey. There was no personalization besides a couple framed photos of the two of you on the long dresser underneath the TV. You looked to the wall windows overlooking the grounds outside. They matched the inside: trimmed, everything in its place.

You were back to your perfect life in your perfect house. Alone. Except for when Steve was home and enveloped every ounce of your attention and being to him and him alone. You wondered how that would fare as soon as the babies were born. You wondered if Steve’s jealousy and possessiveness would extend to his children when you could not solely focus on him. That was a troublesome thought.

You sighed, your hands coming to rest at your hips, supporting your back. You caught sight of yourself in the mirror, seeing your belly starting to peek out from beneath your nightshirt. Steve would want new clothes brought in for you now that you were getting in your final months and you were going to really balloon out now.

As if his ears were burning, his voice sounded from behind you, “Y/N?”

You turned your head towards the doorway; he was looking at you concerned. You gathered he must have tried to get your attention a couple of times. You were so lost in your thoughts.

“Come here,” Steve beckoned you with two fingers.

He did not have to request it twice. You followed him down the stairs, him walking a step before you, ready to catch you if you stumbled.

Halfway down the stairs, he chastised, “I don’t like the idea of you going up and down stairs too often without someone there.”

“That’s where our bedroom is,” you told him point blank. His mouth set into a thin line as you reached the final stairs. You inhaled deeply, calming any sense of argumentative behavior you had in your bones at his cautiousness. “I use the handrail. Always.”

“I’m worried about your balance.”

“I’m paying attention to that.”

Steve looked like he wanted to say something else but he turned away from you, striding towards the front door and you followed. As soon as you stepped out onto the front porch, you stopped, seeing all the security from around the grounds gathered in a semi-circle.

On a stair above them, Steve leveled all of them with a serious gaze, his profile visible to you.

“New ground rules starting today and running indefinitely. Y/N – and you can just start referring to her as Mrs. Rogers because it’ll be soon enough, and I will have you all being respectful to my wife – is not allowed to leave the property without a proper escort and my permission. If you don’t see me face to face saying she’s allowed to leave or hear me over the phone, she doesn’t leave. No one comes onto the property either unless they’re one of the team or you have prior notice from me.”

Your breath was quickening with every word that fell from his lips.

“Does everyone understand that?” Steve asked, his gaze falling on you specifically.

There were a chorus of ‘yes sirs’ but Steve was watching you intently, expectantly.

“Yes,” you said quietly.

Your understanding was the one he ultimately wanted to witness. You had broken his trust like he had specifically asked you not to. And he was true to his word; he was locking the damn keys up.

<><><>

“You kept them alive?” Tony asked incredulously when Steve told him that Yua and Natalie were still alive.

Steve rose a brow, sending a challenging look right back at him. He shrugged lightly, “What collateral would I have over her head otherwise? They’re all I’ve got until the babies are born. I don’t doubt for a second any threat I would take them away from her permanently will keep her underneath my thumb. And warming my bed.”

Tony chewed his gum with purpose, staring at Steve, letting that sink in.

“That was a gamble. You are leaving a window for them to try something foolish again,” Tony finally said with a malcontent tone.

“She’s not allowed to leave the grounds.”

“At all?”

“Not unless I give permission. No more joy rides. And no one is allowed on the grounds,” Steve said. He noticed the cocked eyebrow sent in his direction and he added, “Unless they’re an Avenger. You’re still on the list, you baby.”

“I would be offended if I wasn’t,” Tony returned. He pushed away from the table he was leaning on to stand up straight. He walked around it, tapping his pen on his open palm. A nervous tick. “So, you are here for the chip I am guessing.”

“And for the company.”

Tony smirked over his shoulder. “Right.” He stopped, twirling on his heel to face Steve again who had begun to follow him. He set him with a look and told him sincerely, “I told Pepper to talk to Y/N. Give assurances and whatnot. I think with the right conditioning, Y/N will find comfort in motherhood.” 

Steve nodded in agreement, “I don’t doubt that for a second. She’ll desire to cradle them… her motherly instincts kicking in to cradle them at her breast.”

“You’re banking on it,” Tony observed, chuckling. Steve merely shrugged and Tony laughed again. “Yeah, I did too. And it worked out. She’s gonna get protective. You’re right to use them for collateral. You should marry her and get custody put in place once the children are born.”

“I am already planning on marrying her. I already told the staff to start referring to her as Mrs. Rogers. Never too early to start showing her the respect she deserves,” Steve informed him. And then he asked, “But custody? I’m the father.”

Tony pointed his pen at him as they approached the worktable. “Yes, _but,_ if there’s no custody order in place then she can legally take them again from you… again. Honestly, Steve, do you not listen to anything I try to teach you?”

“Is that what you did with Pepper?”

“I threatened it,” Tony said and then made a face. “And thennnn… I actually did it. She doesn’t know that still but, I don’t leave anything up to chance. But the threat was enough and still holds to be enough. Even doing that might get Y/N to shape up.”

Steve admitted, “I would rather just have her sign the damn thing and see it for herself.”

“Probably smart with her. She is… what was your word? Squirrelly?”

“Shut up,” Steve retorted.

Tony chortled, “Well, she is. But, be proud of yourself. You have got a perfect one bagged. I’m proud of you.”

<><><>

Pepper had been elated to see you back safe and sound. She had prepared an entire smorgasbord for you, all different kinds of small things to snack on before dinner. You were surprised to learn she had actually done it herself and not the maid. She really must have been excited to have you coming over.

She gushed over your stomach, congratulating you on its size. You had told her you were not sure if the size is something you should be happy about and she waved you off, reminding you you were growing two babies inside there.

The food was delicious, you made sure to make two small sandwiches for yourself made out of different ingredients and an array of different sides to munch on. Morgan was down for a nap, so you had not seen her yet, surprisingly to your disappointment. Since you were really having to face you were going to have two small ones of your own soon, you wanted to be around another baby to learn the ins and outs.

Pepper’s back was to you, refilling your glass of water, still speaking over her shoulder as you reached for another handful of grapes. Being distracted by both the food and her conversation, you didn’t even notice Tony had come up behind you before you felt his grip on your upper arm and the stick into your bicep.

You tried to yank away, shouting in alarm. But Steve was at your other side, blocking you from leaving your chair and you all but collided with his chest. You hissed in pain as Tony scolded you for making that harder than it needed to be, telling you if you had just sat still you would not have had that much pain. You craned your neck the other way to look up at Steve in shock and he was staring down at you without remorse.

“What… what was that?” you practically demanded, your eyes narrowing in anger.

Steve did not answer you, Tony did, sounding pretty happy with himself. “Tracking device. Completely harmless, even with babies. Trust me. Pepper has one too. But I’m giving you the upgraded one. That baby will be able to find you no matter where you are. Top quality technology there. You are one of the firsts to be able to try it out.”

He said it like you should be thanking him and be in awe of the gift he was bestowing.

You noticed Pepper had turned back around, her jaw slack from disbelief at what she had just witnessed. Her eyes met yours and you saw regret and empathy in her eyes. Of course she felt that for you. Tony had just told you that she had one too. And they had used her extension of friendship as a way to distract you to be able to make sure you were just as trapped as she was.

Suddenly you did not feel like eating anymore. You threw the grapes back onto your plate, some bouncing off the plate to roll across the counter. Fury was welling up inside your stomach, threatening to boil over.

“Y/N,” Steve’s voice came deep and rumbling, warning overwhelming his tone.

Tony had discarded the needle down a chute on the counter across from you, whistling. He was pulling glasses out of the cupboards.

“Drinks before dinner?” he asked and then shot you an apologetic smile. “I’ve got some sparkling water for you, Y/N.”

You were having trouble focusing, trying to shove all the anger you felt down. You knew you had brought this on yourself by leaving, by betraying Steve’s trust. But you did not think he would go as far as to let Tony implant a GPS tracker in you. You did not think those were even real, but you should not be surprised with Tony. And poor Pepper…

And now, poor you.

During dinner, you were kind to Pepper, keeping up the face with her. You could tell she was distraught for you and you kept brushing it off with a wide smile. No need for anyone else to feel miserable on your account, especially her. You had gotten yourself into this mess and now you were reaping the consequences. You had pushed Steve past his breaking limit, and you had no one to blame but yourself. You were taking your medicine in each dose and you would continue to do it with as much decorum as you could muster.

On the way out the door, Tony grabbed your arm again, stopping your stride. You flinched at his touch and he noticed, a laugh leaving him.

“Oh, darling, sorry. Not another shot. It’s just me,” he told you, pulling you close. Your eyes flicked to Steve still walking down the hall towards the front door where his coat was hanging. Tony leaned in, grabbing your attention again. “You be nice to him now. He’s got something really special for you planned. You understand?”

There was menace lurking in his gaze and you nodded quickly to escape his stare. It was gone and he nodded. “Good girl. You treat him right. You have another opportunity to do so and I know you learned your lesson.”

He let go of your arm with a jerk and you stumbled back a bit. You nodded again, nervousness coursing through you before you turned and faced Steve again who had just realized you were not following behind him. He beckoned you and you walked to him quickly.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **FINAL**

Steve shook his head, scrolling through his phone across the table from you. His dinner was barely touched he was so engrossed in what he was reading. He must have felt you staring because he looked up, making eye contact with you.

You swallowed and asked now that you had his attention, “What is making you so upset?”

Reluctantly, Steve told you, “Gossip columns. About us. About you.”

“Well, I don’t know about that because I don’t have my phone… or internet access at that.” Steve’s face was stoic at your remark and you shrugged, unable to mask your scorn “You’re the one who put my face out there. Can’t blame people for being concerned about one of their stars.”

“You forced my hand,” Steve told you in a low voice. “Did you not?”

You took another bite of your food, knowing you were toeing a line.

Steve put his phone down, scooting his chair closer to yours, invading your space. “Did you not?” he repeated with more force.

“I did,” you whispered.

His fingers ghosted along the side of your face. “Like I told you… you don’t think about the repercussions of your actions. You were acting unstable. Nothing like yourself. I had to do it to bring you back. I had to do it to keep you safe.”

He was so insistent in his chivalry about whisking you back home, keeping you barred inside. You blocked out what he was saying about you, like he was blaming you for reacting perfectly normally to being kept in a cage. You wanted to move onto something else.

“Did you pay that person… who turned me in?”

“Yes.”

“Are Yua and Natalie back at their jobs?”

“Yes.”

You proposed honestly, “How can I be sure? That you’re telling me the truth? When I cannot even check on them myself?”

“You don’t trust me?” Steve’s eyes were hard, challenging you.

What a loaded question.

“I don’t see any reason why you would lie to me about it,” you lied yourself in response.

Steve looked tickled by your response, but you also sensed displeasure in his tone. “Y/N… I have enough money and power to ruin them if I wanted to. And I wouldn’t keep it a secret from you because there would be a damn good reason I would have done so. And I would want you to know what lesson you were supposed to learn. So, darling, trust me when I tell you that they are okay. I listened to what you requested. I can be reasonable when you behave.” He leaned back, eyes searching your face. He let out a small sigh seeing the meek expression on your face, “Over time you’ll get your phone back... your friends coming around to visit again.”

He was waiting expectantly for you to answer, to say anything.

“I understand.”

Steve’s hand was warm, grasping yours. “You did good, doll face…” he praised gently. “You came back to me. You brought the babies back. I am desperate to see you mothering our children… swelling with more of them.” He reached over, picking up an envelope on top of the stack of papers near him. He held it up to you and said, “And I intend to make good on my word about making it official.”

Steve handed it to you and you took it from him gingerly. Unfolding the papers inside, you looked down at the paper, seeing it was a marriage application.

Confused, you asked, “You… you don’t even want to have a ceremony?”

“Do you want a ceremony?” Steve asked seriously.

“Yes,” you breathed. If you were going to get married, you wanted to at least celebrate it. Have something to look forward to if you were going to be legally bound to him.

“Hmm.” Steve looked contemplative. “I didn’t think you would be interested in that.” He paused, chewing on the thought. He blew a small raspberry, reaching for his phone. “Well, maybe it is a good thing I did float the idea.” He began to hand the phone to you but paused, cocking his head slightly. “Now… I’m gonna let you look at this because Wanda was able to find some beautiful maternity gowns. Tell me what you think of them. Don’t search anything else. Understand?” You nodded and he handed you his phone and you stared down at it, shocked to see wedding gowns.

Being pregnant was not something you had considered for the ceremony. Or particularly wanted for your wedding day photos.

“Do we have to move so quickly?”

“Yes,” Steve responded curtly.

“Why?”

“Because I want it to all be settled before the babies get here.”

The only reason he would want that… he had to have an angle. There must be something that he wanted.

“Can I—”

“Small ceremony, Y/N,” Steve cut you off, as if he knew exactly what you were going to ask. And you could not fathom how he could just read you like a book. It unnerved you. He was observant and it was detrimental to you. “I already have the list and the venue was set.”

“The v-venue?”

He threw you a smirk, “I was banking on you wanting a ceremony.”

So that is what Tony had been talking about.

<><><>

Your hands ran over the gown. The beaded sheer top above your bustline glittered in the light. You were a little chilly with your bare arms, but you barely noticed above your nerves. Surprisingly, you had been left alone in the room serving as the bridal suite. Not that you could make a run for it anyway in this dress and with your stomach. You snorted at the thought of you running down the street; it did calm you down a little.

Yet, you still wished your friends had been able to attend but it was ‘family’ only as Steve had said. And that family meant the team.

The door opened, drawing your attention.

Wanda was standing there, and she stopped, seeing you done up.

“You look lovely,” she said gently, a sincere smile on her face.

You returned her smile, giving a quick nod. You found yourself more often than not, cradling your stomach, and here you were again. You grimaced when one of the twins gave a particularly hard kick and Wanda noticed.

She was at your side immediately, “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” you breathed, nodding. “Would be terrible to have the babies at 28 weeks… far too early.”

“Not uncommon though.” Wanda still sounded unsure.

You waved her off. “I’m fine. Really. They’re just kicking and moving around.”

Wanda relaxed a little and said, “Alright, if you’re sure. Well, they’re ready. Are you?”

Shakily, you told her, “Yes. Yes, of course.”

The room was bright, draped in shades of sky blues. White petals were scattered along the aisle down to where Steve was standing. You breath caught at the sight of him, causing you to hesitate in your stride. Steve looked handsome, so very handsome. Somehow you made it to the end of the aisle, coming to stand in front of him. You hardly could contain the smile that came to you, unable to block out the happiness you felt coming off of him in waves. He looked so sure, so satisfied as he took your hand in his.

His words were sweet, loving. You tried to breathe easy as he slipped the ring on your finger, noticing the hungry look on his eyes. When you were told to kiss, Steve guided you, his lips dominating yours.

Signing away on the marriage certificate, you noticed his lips twitch watching you. He was elated. He was getting exactly what he wanted… you. Forever.

The night would have gone smoothly if you had not felt another hard kick from the babies. It felt different. It was not a normal kick.

Your fork clattered to your plate over your dinner at the bridal table. Your hand came to your stomach, your face twinged in pain.

Steve’s laugh faltered, his attention drawn from Bucky next to him.

“Y/N?” he asked, his tone suddenly serious. Bucky was leaning forward, sharing Steve’s look of concern.

Trying to play it off, you nodded with difficulty. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Another kick hit and you grimaced, a sharp gasp leaving your mouth. “Okay, maybe I’m not.”

Steve was standing and staring down at you in worry. The rest of the team had noticed and were hanging in suspension as they realized there was something wrong.

“I’ll get the car,” Steve declared. “Tony, Bucky, can you help her outside? I’m getting the car.”

Without waiting for them to answer, Steve was already halfway to the door, his stride quick.

Tony and Bucky were there, hands holding you as they helped you stand. You whimpered, your belly tight, soreness swirling in your hips and lower back. You had had period cramps before but this was something else entirely.

You felt wet and looked down at your legs. Your dress was soaked in a stream and you let out a strangled noise. Your water was broken and panic began to set in.

“Oh, boy, yeah,” Tony said sounding like he was trying to keep himself calm since he noticed it as well as him and Bucky helped you walk towards the door.

“I’m not ready,” you begged, tears welling up in the corner of your eyes. “I’m not ready!”

“I don’t think you’ve got much of a say in the matter,” Tony told you, trying to make a joke. He gave a small laugh, but you could tell he was nervous. You cried out and he quickly held to you as your knees threatened to buckle underneath you. “Oh, shit. Okay. Keep steady, sweetheart.”

“I can’t!” you snapped at him.

Tony closed his mouth.

Bucky grunted as your legs quivered and you leaned into him as you reached the door. They helped you down the stairs as carefully as they could as you heard tires squeal to a stop at the curb. Steve had been speeding from the parking garage.

Steve got halfway out of the car, but Bucky said, “We got it. Don’t worry.”

They helped you get into the front seat of the car and you gripped the sides of the chair, closing your eyes as another contraction rumbled through you. You heard Bucky get into the backseat of the car and slam the door closed.

Steve took off quickly, promising you he would get you to the hospital as quickly as possible. He was doing well hiding his anxiousness, channeling it into assuring you and telling you it was going to be okay.

<><><>

“It was the goddamn stress!” Steve grated furiously. “She should have stayed home! She shouldn’t have run off! Why was she so stupid?”

He was pacing angrily in one of the waiting rooms down the hallway. Y/N had given birth to both of the babies, far prematurely. They had both been whisked away to the NICU without Y/N and Steve both given much time to see them, let alone hold them. They were reassured they would be able to visit once the babies were set up safely. It did not sit well with Steve. Y/N was exhausted and was having trouble staying awake, so he had left the room when he was sure she was alright. She needed rest.

But now that he was out of the height of the situation, anger began swirling at the risk she had been put at along with the babies.

The team had shown up, still dressed in their wedding attire.

No one argued with Steve. He might very well have a valid point about it and saying anything to the contrary was not going to calm him down.

Steve ground his teeth, hands coming to his hips in frustration.

“They said the babies are alright though?” Natasha finally spoke.

Steve looked over at her and shrugged, “I think. I don’t know. They said they needed to be put on oxygen. That doesn’t sound good to me.”

“It’s probably precautionary, Steve,” Pepper offered gently.

Finding an empty chair, Steve sat down in it heavily, resting his elbows on his thighs. His eyes swept around the room, taking everyone in. He could see the unquiet in their expressions, their worry for him. He was supposed to be the one keeping everyone levelheaded; that was his job. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for just a moment. He just needed a moment to compose himself and be strong for everyone else.

When he opened them again, he said, “It better be. It’s gotta be.”

<><><>

Steve was there when your eyes fluttered open. It took a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the light in the room, even though it was dimmed. You focused in on the sheets and your gown. And then you felt the remnants of pain in your lower half, even though it was dull now.

It all hit you at once and you tried to sit up too quickly. You gasped in pain and Steve was halfway out of his chair.

“You’re fine,” he said in a rush, his hands coming to your arms. His eyes were swimming with worry. “Don’t get up, Y/N. You need to rest.”

Breathing erratically, you looked at him in alarm. “T-the babies?”

“They’re in the NICU,” Steve assured you quickly. “One is breathing on her own, the other is on tubes. But they think that he will be able to breath on his own soon.”

You stared at him and demanded, “You’ve seen them?”

“Yes. You did too. Briefly.”

That came back to you too. You had seen them. You had been awake for everything. But the exhaustion had taken over.

“But… you saw them? Without me?” you asked weakly.

“Yeah,” Steve admitted, slowly sitting back down in his chair. “I haven’t held them, but I’ve seen them. Through the window.” His hands rubbed your arms affectionately. “Y/N, doll face, really. You need to lie back. You lost a lot of blood.” That’s when you noticed the IV and everything attached to you. “They treated you and replaced but you’re still going to be weak.”

You did as he asked, lying back on the plethora of pillows behind you. He physically relaxed at you reclined, but he was still leaning towards you, ever watchful.

His tone was sympathetic, “I don’t like you sick. I don’t like worrying about you. I’m supposed to protect you.” His thumb traced across your lips, concern swimming in his eyes now. “I hope though you’ll take something from this… that you’ll think twice about being reckless. I don’t want our future children being put through this, Y/N. I don’t want you being put through this. I want you to be secure, relaxed… safe under my watch.”

Steve’s other hand came to rest on your stomach and you felt a sense of foreboding flooding in. His closed mouth smile conveyed confidence, his hand gently caressing. “Despite all of that stress though… you pulled through. You are special, Y/N. I can’t wait to watch you swell again.” He was sincere, gaze intense, and his fingers holding you close. “You are the most important thing to me. I’ll make sure next time goes more smoothly for you. I’ll be there every step of the way next time.”

He leaned in close now, his lips brushing against your ear, “You’re all in my custody now. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


End file.
